Dive into this article from Wingman Magdi – a highly experienced simulator assessment recruiter. If you have an upcoming simulator assessment, or are hoping you get the opportunity to take part in one in the near future, then this article should be considered essential reading…! Learn more about Wingman Magdi on the For Flying Out Loud podcast!

My passion for training…

I have spent much of the last ten years of my career sat in the back of simulators, both training and checking commercial airline pilots. During that time, I have undoubtedly experienced the occasional tough “day at the office”, but it’s still a job I truly love. I enjoy the challenge of establishing an open learning environment which provides a platform for fellow pilots to fulfil their full potential. I still get a real buzz from being able to add some value and help my colleagues to consistently push their own standards a little higher.

Some of that time in the sim has also been used to assess pilots who are seeking employment. By definition, the dynamic of those sessions is quite different to carrying out recurrent checks or conversion training but is still incredibly fulfilling for me as a Sim Assessor. 

Over the years, I have carried out countless assessments and the one thing that still surprises me is the over-emphasis that many applicants place on their Manual Flight Control. It is very common for applicants to pay for sim time to practise their manual flying in a simulator prior to undergoing their assessment. Although they are to be commended on doing all they can to prepare, sadly in many cases, their efforts will often be focused on the wrong areas. 

Wingman Magdi leads the Flight Deck Wingman Simulator Assessment Preparation course.

Does practise always make perfect…..?

As a keen golfer, I liken it to going to the driving range, hitting 100 balls and then going out on the course only to still play badly! Does hitting numerous golf balls in the risk-free environment of a driving range truly prepare me for the challenges of the golf course? Similarly, the question I would ask most applicants is: has your practice properly prepared you for the unique challenges of a sim assessment?

Understandably, most applicants will be primarily interested in handling the simulator and maybe  just flying profiles they think they may be faced with in their forthcoming assessment.

Manual flight control is an interesting subject and one that gives many pilots sleepless nights….. totally unnecessarily in my humble opinion! I am very much an advocate of the theory that if you are the holder of a commercial pilot’s licence, you have already proven your ability to fly an aircraft. By definition, you already possess the required hand-eye coordination and have more than adequately demonstrated that in a highly pressured Instrument Rating flight test! 

“Manual flight control is an interesting subject and one that gives many pilots sleepless nights… totally unnecessarily in my humble opinion!”

Manual Flight Control… the truth!

Here’s a controversial statement: I believe that 99% of pilots I have assessed over the years possessed the required standard of manual flight control to fly the simulator safely and accurately. Were 99% successful? Of course not! So why not? 

Admittedly, I have indeed seen some very poor manual flight control during sim assessments but I strongly believe that in nearly all cases, it was attributable to a totally different root cause. A root cause that most pilots will be unaware of. On the Flight Deck Wingman Simulator Assessment Preparation course, we spend significant time in the classroom identifying those common root causes and most importantly, discussing strategies to manage or eradicate them.

Many candidates place too much emphasis on manual flight control when preparing for a simulator assessment.

Effective preparation is key…

Do you know what is actually being assessed in your sim assessment? Do you know what criteria are being used to score you? If the answer to either of these questions is “no”, then how are you going to demonstrate those relevant skills that I am looking for as an assessor? 

On the course we explain exactly why airlines use sim assessments and drill down into the specific skill set they are looking for. I passionately believe that this knowledge will allow you to be far better prepared for any forthcoming sim assessment you may be undertaking.  

The course is structured so that following the classroom training, you will then spend time in the simulator putting those learning points into practice. I guarantee you will notice an improvement in your manual flight control and overall performance simply because you now have a clear understanding of the factors which may cause poor performance. You will now possess strategies to avoid these factors and we will practice applying them to a real time sim session. 

What I will not do is prep you for a specific assessment! All assessments are different and airlines change their profiles on a regular basis. In line with The Flight Deck Wingman ethos, we will instead offer you highly specialised training which will allow you to undertake any sim assessment with confidence.

“…we will instead offer you highly specialised training which will allow you to undertake any sim assessment with confidence.”

If you have a sim assessment coming up and want to give yourself the best possible opportunity to be successful, I would love the opportunity to work with you on a Flight Deck Wingman Simulator Assessment Preparation Course.

Our Courses

Flight Deck Wingman offers training on for any simulator assessment on a variety of devices including the A320, B737 and CRJ100. Our courses are used to prepare for assessment with Wizz Air, Ryanair, NetJets, Jet2.com, British Airways, TUI and many more – we will train you in the techniques to be successful with any simulator assessment process!

We also offer an online only option, which provides you with 3 hours of one-to-one training with Wingman Magdi learning the techniques to be successful with your simulator assessment.

You can learn more and book your place at this link. Got a question? Get in touch.

Clients on a recent Flight Deck Wingman Simulator Assessment Preparation Course operating a fixed base 737 NG device at Motion Flight Training in Gatwick.