Preparing the simulator assessment of a pilot selection

If you are getting ready for a simulator assessment as part of a pilot selection, AVIASIM may well be what you need. Three things matter when you prepare a sim session properly. First, you need an instructor who genuinely knows what you are about to face, so that the scenario you train on is the right one: SIDs, STARs, failures, technical questions. Second, you need a simulator close to the one you will sit in on the day. Third, all of it has to come at a sensible price, so that booking a few hours remains a realistic idea.

Do I really need to train for my sim assessment?

Consider a newly qualified CPL/IR ME pilot flying a DA42. Flying a single-engine ILS at 150 kt, or an A320 in raw data, is a long way from instinctive. It has nothing to do with a basic FNPT II. And booking ten hours on a jet simulator at €500 an hour is hard to contemplate. Even if you did break the piggy bank, you would still have to find an instructor who knows the selection you are sitting, because an Air France sim assessment is not a CAE or an easyJet one. Nor should you assume you can skip the preparation because you have type experience. Honestly, when did you last fly an approach with no flight director and no autothrust? Can you still hold a rate of descent to the foot on an NDB approach with no moving map? Bear in mind that the Air France sim eliminates more experienced professionals with a type rating than 200-hour newcomers. Hard to believe, but true.

In short, preparing for the sim in a way that actually helps is a real challenge.

So we looked into it, and we find the training on offer at Aviasim genuinely relevant.

Why?

Sim training at AVIASIM

First, because they know their trade and have been preparing candidates for selections for a good while. Their public image is the fun, consumer-facing one. In reality they are also very much geared towards professionals, with remarkably convincing simulators. The feedback reaching us is good, and their instructors know exactly what you will be facing on the day. Your hours there genuinely pay off, because you work straight away on realistic scenarios.

They are also more or less everywhere: 13 centres and 35 simulators across France, so you should find one within reach.

The level of realism is genuinely good too. For working on your SOPs or your handling, it beats a basic FNPT II hands down. If you can hold your altitude to within 20 feet there, the real thing will feel like a walk in the park.

The recent accounts we have from 200-hour pilots who went on to join Air France or Ryanair are very positive. A ten-hour block at Aviasim gave them the ease they needed to pass the sim assessment and start their type rating.

What does it cost?

Their prices are reasonable as well. An hour on the A320 sim starts at €99, which leaves room to take your time. A ten-hour Aviasim block is the ideal starting point.

We talked to Aviasim to see whether they would make a gesture on price.

We secured 20% off their training sessions. The offer runs until 30 March 2020. The discount code is:

AviaSimtraining

So prepare your sim assessment properly and shine on the day, and do get in touch with AVIASIM for more information. They will be glad to answer.

Good luck to you all.