Student Enthusiasm for Part 135 Flight Simulations

The need to develop collegiate aviation simulation activities that mirror corporate and commercial operating practices, particularly those regulated by' the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) under Part 135 of Title 14 of the Code of Federal Regulations is critical for graduates to succeed in professional pilot careers in the future. New simulation technology, in particular the Personal Computer-Based Aircraft Training Devices (PCATDs) and it's extensive database of diverse aircraft and geographic features, is becoming an economical substitute to traditional simulation in many collegiate aviation education programs. In fact, research by the University of Illinois (Taylor, et al., 2003) substantiated the value of utilizing a PCATD in preparing pilots for an instrument proficiency check. With the distribution of AC 61 -126 (U. S. Department of Transportation, 1997), the FAA recognized the value of PCATD simulations for instrument flight training, but this new technology is more then a simple duplication of flight training device-based aviation simulation efforts. It offers collegiate aviation educators opportunities to realistically duplicate Part 135 operating practices that students need to learn before pursuing employment within this industry. As director of a cost conscious aviation education program at Bowling Green State University, I conducted an examination of the effectiveness of utilizing a PCATD for teaching high performance, instrument flight skills to senior students pursuing Part 135 employment. As this project progressed, I noted the enthusiasm students had for this PCATD simulation activity. The intent of this paper is to advocate the inclusion of Part 13 5 simulation activities in collegiate aviation education processes. Introduction Aviation educators have long sought economical ways to duplicate, or better d e s c r i i as simulate, the human processes necessary to safely operate an air& in flight and on the ground in a device other than an actual aircraft. The reasons for providing such simulations are many, but in particular represent a cost effective way to train and educate pilots as the costs associated with operating aircraft in flight lessons increase. The capability to simulate actual flight conditions, began in 1934 as the C-3 Link Trainer or "blue canoe" as it was called by the military pilots who used it. Flight simulation equipment grew in popularity through the 1980s resulting in the construction of multimillion dollar, multi-functional simulation marvels that remain a flight training foundation for every branch of the military as well as the major airlines world wide (Williams, 1994). However, recent advances in software and hardware systems have allowed engineers to build much smaller, more cost effective devices that provide as accurate a simulation of Part 135 flight conditions as those bulky, stand alone facilities of the 1980s. One of the newest devices is the Personal Computer-based Aviation Training Device (PCATD). PCATDs are computer powered hardware and software devices, that are small enough to fit on a large table, have the same flight controls, levers, and instrumentation as an actual aircraft, and even emulate on computer monitors the various weather phenomena pilots encounter when they actually fly aircraft in poor meteorological conditions. These types of flight simulation devices, usually costing less then $20,000, represent a new and cost effective way to educate our students in commercial operating practices. Expectedly, there has been an increase in the academic examination of PCATDs (Taylor, et al., 2003). As computer capabilities improve, and hardware configurations better represent the flight deck environment of operational aircraft, the PCATD has become a valuable educational tool for presenting realistic, high-quality representations of aircraft performance and instrumentation. Studies identified by Taylor et al. have provided evidence of the positive transfer of aircraft operating skills fiom the PCATD to the aircraft. Data fiom a study conducted by the Institute of JAAER, Spring 2007 Page 19 1 McDermott: Student Enthusiasm for Part 135 Flight Simulations Published by ERAU Scholarly Commons, 2007