Skip to main content

Simulator Familiarization

Simulator Interface Basics

Beyond the cockpit, every simulator has an interface for choosing where and how you fly. This lesson introduces the instructor station and the handful of settings that matter most.

A seated fixed-base simulator with wraparound displays (concept rendering)

Two places to control the flight

A simulator session involves two kinds of control:

  • The cockpit is where you fly: the controls, the panel, and the switches behave as they would in the aircraft.
  • The instructor station is where the scenario is set up: which airport, what weather, what time of day, and whether any systems should misbehave.

In a guided session the Signature-Sky team operates the instructor station for you. As you gain experience you may use it yourself.

The settings that matter

Position

Choose an airport and whether to start on the ground or already in the air. Starting in the air is a great way to practise one thing, such as turns, without taxiing out every time.

Weather

Clear skies and calm wind for the first flights. Later, add a crosswind or lower the cloud base to see how the picture changes.

Time of day

Daytime is easiest. Dusk and night flying show how much the instruments matter when the horizon disappears.

Superpowers

  • Pause stops everything so you can talk about what you see.
  • Reset returns the aircraft to the starting point of the scenario.
  • Reposition moves the aircraft, for example onto a final approach, so you can practise the same two minutes repeatedly.

A note on realism

Simulators vary in how closely they match a specific aircraft. The team will tell you what each device represents. Treat each session as practice in thinking like a pilot rather than as a measure of exactly how a particular aircraft flies.

Key takeaways

  • The instructor station controls the scenario, while the cockpit controls the aircraft.
  • Position, weather, and time of day are the three settings you will change most often.
  • Pause, reset, and reposition are the simulator's superpowers; use them freely.

Educational material on this website is for familiarization and general interest. It does not replace instruction from a certificated flight instructor, and no simulator time described here should be assumed to count toward any pilot certificate or rating unless Signature-Sky Aviation has confirmed that status in writing.

Ready to try it at the controls?

A guided simulator session is where the lessons click.

Arrange a session