Flight Simulators in Alaska

If you are looking for the most affordable way to train for pilots licenses and ratings, using a flight simulator in Alaska may be the ticket. Though some flight simulators in Alaska are fairly expensive, most will be considerably cheaper to use than renting a real airplane. The FAA allows a certain amount of training in certain flight simulators to count towards the aeronautical experience requirements for certain licenses and ratings. It should be noted that the FAA does not allow home-based flight simulators (such as Microsoft Flight Simulator or X-Plane in most situations) to be logged for official flight training purposes. Any flight simulators in Alaska that the FAA permits to be used for such purposes will include a letter from the FAA stating that it is approved for such purposes. Below is a list of licenses and ratings for which the FAA allows flight simulators to be used:

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• Private Pilot License: Up to 2.5 hours out of the required 40 hours of total flight time
• Instrument Rating: Up to 10 hours in a Basic Aviation Training Device (BATD) or 20 hours in an Advanced Aviation Training Device (AATD) towards the required 40 hours of instrument time
• Commercial Pilot License: Up to 50 hours in an AATD out of the required 250 hours of total flight time

Note: These numbers apply to Part 61 flight training. Part 141 training may allow more simulator time to be counted towards ratings, but Part 141 flight schools are generally more expensive than Part 61, so the savings are cancelled out.