"I am never afraid of what I know." - Anna Sewell

The quality and redundancy built into airplanes make them remarkably safe. Today, many people consider the drive to and from the airport to be the most dangerous part of the trip!

As a result, experienced pilots often report that very few, if any, true emergency situation ever arise. Because of this pilots don't get practice handling emergencies except in a training environment. This is why good sense , the insurance companies and the FAA want pilots to have recurrent training. This training can vary from a "trip around the patch" with a few take-offs and landings, to several weeks in ground school and a simulator.

Ultimately, it is the insurance company underwriting your risk that will mandate the training program for you. However, you do have input through your "aviation insurance broker". In many cases, an "aviation insurance broker" will also be a pilot and familiar with what the different underwriters are requiring.

The combination of training cost and insurance cost is the true cost we want to determine. We will also be able to determine the pilot experience requirements for the make and model of plane we are interested in. If we have kept our make and model options open, we can now make a further selection based on the training and experience requirements. It may mean that instead of a pressurized twin, it might make better overall sense to select a non-pressurized version. We certainly don't want to end up owning a plane that the intended pilot is not qualified to fly.

Today, more and more training is required to take place in high technology computerized flight simulators. It is "virtual reality" at its best! Manufacturers work with the training companies to insure the best flight training experience possible. Not only are emergency and abnormal situations practiced, but also, normal operations special to that type of plane. Thorough instructions for the specific systems in that particular plane are also included. This comprehensive training will assure you that the pilot knows the plane well and is capable of handling normal, abnormal and emergency situations that may arise.

Training facilities:

• SIMCOM
• Flight Safety
• Simuflite
• ATC Group