Recency Simulator Price Comparison

Simulator Price Comparison for Maintaining Recency

A list of companies offering pilots simulator practice

Price Comparison of Flight Simulators for Pilots Looking to Maintain Recency

Many aspects of piloting, such as the application of SOPs and the use of non-technical skills, such as maintaining a high level of capacity and situational awareness are perishable and require regular practice to help keep them at a high level. If you’ve found yourself out of flying work, or perhaps you’ve finished flight school and are looking to stay current whilst finding a piloting job, it’s important to keep your skills fresh and maintain some flying recency.

To support pilots wishing to maintain some exposure to the operating environment and practice CRM, manual flying and SOP application, we’ve compiled a list of companies who are offering use of their simulators for recency/currency purposes.

The prices were correct at the time of writing but may since have been updated. Any enquiries regarding the service offered should be directed at the company in question.

FFS – Full Flight Simulator

FBS – Fixed Based Simulator

Dry Hire – No instructor provided (instructor may be available at an additional cost)

CompanySimulatorLocationPrice
MotionFBS 737NG, Dry HireGatwick£60 P/H
Virtual AerospaceFBS 737-800, Dry HireNorthampton, Shoreham £110.00 P/H
Virtual Aviation FBS 737NG / A320, Dry HireCambridge£120 P/H
AlphaTechFBS A320, Dry HireBelfast & Vienna£144 P/H
SimTech Aviation
FBS B737-800Dublin€300 P/H
SkyBourne
B737MAXGloucestershire Airport £300 P/H +VAT
Virtual Aerospace
FFS 737-800 / A320 Gatwick£499.99 P/H
Lufthansa
VariousFrankfurtPOA
HOPCRJ/ERJFrancePOA

CompanySimulatorPriceLocation
MotionFBS 737NG, Dry Hire£60 P/HGatwick
Virtual AerospaceFBS 737-800, Dry Hire£110.00 P/HNorthampton, Shoreham
Virtual Aviation FBS 737NG / A320, Dry Hire£120 P/HCambridge
AlphaTechFBS A320, Dry Hire£144 P/HBelfast & Vienna
SimTech Aviation
FBS B737-800€300 P/HDublin
SkyBourne
B737MAX£300 P/H +VATGloucestershire Airport
Virtual Aerospace
FFS 737-800 / A320 £499.99 P/HGatwick
Lufthansa
VariousPOAFrankfurt
HOPCRJ/ERJPOAFrance

Pilot Simulator Assessment Preparation

Airline Pilot Simulator Assessment Preparation

Prepare for an upcoming simulator assessment

Simulator Assessment Preparation

With over fifteen years of experience in preparing pilots for their airline simulator assessment, VA Airline Training have helped thousands of pilots secure their dream job.

They offer tailored simulator assessment preparation and flight experience sessions on a comprehensive range of full motion and fixed based simulators located around the United Kingdom. This includes the Boeing 737 / 757 / 767 / 747 / 777 / 787 and Airbus A320 / A330 / A340 / A380. VA are a UK CAA approved ATO. From the first phone call to leaving the training center fully prepared, you can expect a highly professional and bespoke service geared towards ensuring you pass your airline sim check.

The most cost-effective simulator is either a certified fixed base 737-800 (Next Generation) or A320 simulator located at Cambridge airport, UK. These state-of-the-art simulators boast some of the best visual modelling in the UK and exceeds the visual quality installed in most full motion simulators. It also uses the Airbus / Boeing Flight Dynamics software, ensuring that the aircraft handles exactly like the real thing. Don’t settle for a generic simulator which can provide negative training, as it handles nothing like the real aircraft.

It provides a great opportunity to properly prepare for your simulator assessment with any airline.

Discounted A320 APS MCC for Pilots

VA Airline Training A320 Simulator

Discount APS MCC for Pilots

VA Airline Training B737 Simulator

Airline Simulator Assessment Preparation

  • B737 or A320 Simulator
  • Highly Experienced Instructor
  • 1 Hour Pre-flight Briefing
  • 2 Hour Simulator Time
  • 30 Minutes Debriefing
  • Free Airline Interview Question Database if FDF Discount Code is Used!
  • £690 – Contact us for more information!

Every week we see our customers getting their dream job:

Pilot Sim Assessment Preparation

All of our assessment preparation sessions are run by experienced airline pilots who have a comprehensive knowledge of the airline simulator selection procedures. They are run on a one to one basis, ensuring you get the full attention of the instructor for the duration of the booking.

VA also cater for people just who want to brush up on their manual handling skills, or maybe you are considering a job in commercial aviation and just want to experience flying a commercial jet.

All sessions include a full 1 hour briefing specific to the airline to which you attending the assessment and a 30 minute debriefing plus the time stated in the simulator. All prices are inclusive of VAT. Prices below are for the Cambridge fixed based simulator, for a quote regarding a specific aircraft full motion simulator, please contact us.

Email [email protected] to make an enquiry.

FAQs

Before booking with a company offering a cheaper product, ask them the following questions:


Many simulators are just generic flight models with working panels and a projector that are based on nothing more than “jazzed up” version of Microsoft Flight Simulator. This is counter productive as it handles nothing like the real simulator will. Our simulator is certified to conduct pilot training in it which is testament to its realism.

You can only teach someone how to fly the aircraft properly if you have extensive experience in operating the aircraft – not in the simulator but in real life! Lots of simulator ‘training’ companies are run by enthusiasts who have never operated a commercial aircraft.

Our flight training partners Virtual Aviation are approved to conduct Multi Crew Cooperation Courses (MCC). You can therefore expect to receive a very high standard.

Our flight training partners have just that. The knowledge and experience gained over this time is invaluable. No other company can compare to the quality of service, advice and knowledge that will be imparted.

Reviews

Don’t just take our word for it, this is a small selection of our customer reviews for our simulator assessment preparation service:



Without a doubt, the instruction and knowledge that was passed onto me was invaluable in helping me pass the sim session on the day, I am very grateful to you and your team

I got the job! Thank you so much for your help.

It was a great help to spend two hours in the simulator before my assessment. My instructor was very helpful and knowledgeable, and was able to give me excellent advice and instruction during my session. My simulator assessment went very smoothly so I am very glad I took the opportunity to practice before hand.

I was extremely impressed with the service I received from my first enquiring phone call through to both my sims. Both instructors were extremely helpful and very approachable. They made me feel relaxed in the sim and I thoroughly enjoyed both sessions and benefited a lot from them. Being able to contact the instructor before the sim session is also very helpful. The office staff were extremely friendly and made you feel very welcome. I felt like I was receiving the service I paid for and more! Thank you and I will inform you soon of the result of my interview!

Thank you for accommodating me on short notice! Please send my best regards to the pilot. He gave me excellent advice and most importantly I got the job!

My instructor was excellent. It was great preparation for my airline assessment. My expectations were exceeded and I’d highly recommend it.

A320 Online Training Package

Online A320 Training and Briefing Platform

A320 Online Training

We have an exciting new product available for the FlightDeckFriend.com community. This kind of training platform is the first of its kind in the world, it’s new and innovative and the company are passionate about changing the way pilots train. We don’t often promote products to our followers but having sampled this product ourselves we simply had to write about and recommend it.

The all new A320 flight crew training and briefing video system explain in visual detail the normal and abnormal procedures of how to operate the Airbus A320. It combines cockpit footage with 3D animation, graphics and narration.

It is ideal for simulator assessments on the A320, preparation and studying before and during a A320 type rating course or your 6 monthly simulator LPC checks.

The training platform which is available on your smartphone, tablet or laptop / computer show you what you should be doing, why and when.

The videos highlight where you should be looking and what you need to see.

Procedures you only see once every few years in a simulator, you can now watch as many times as you want wherever you want, you could be on the train, sat in the car park before your simulator assessment or just sat at home – all you need is an internet connection.

Please note:

There are some fraudulent websites / Facebook pages promoting themselves as an agent of V-PREP. Users have paid their subscription with these companies and then not received access to the package. The only way to get access is directly through V-PREP. Use the link for a FDF special discount.

Latest Press Release

Flying High as New Pilot Training System is Launched.

Pilots learning to fly holiday jets could see their training transformed thanks to a revolutionary new product developed by a Midlands pilot.

Captain James Feeney who lives near Leek in Staffordshire has spent the last two years working with a team of developers, animators, graphic designers and 3D media specialists to perfect a unique online training system called V-Prep.

As seen on ITV’s hit series ’Inside the Cockpit,’ pilots learning to fly the A320 currently use a combination of text book learning and flight simulators before they venture into the cockpit – a process which takes up to 18 months.

Now thanks to Captain Feeney’s pioneering new system, pilots can supplement their training virtually. V-Prep combines 3D affects, cockpit video footage and voice-over explanations covering more than 80 different processes for the A320 including: normal procedures, flight control laws and protection and abnormal/emergency procedures. Pilots can access the training 24-7 via laptops, tablets, smartphones and anywhere with an internet connection.

Captain Feeney flew and trained on Boeing and Airbus aircraft for 23 years and has taught and examined pilots training to fly the A320 for the last ten years.

Now Chief Executive of V-Prep, the father of four says: “As a Training Captain I was frustrated by the lack of modern training material outside the simulator or classroom environment and the reliance on old-fashioned manuals. I saw that some pilots were supplementing their training with free online material that was often out of date and inaccurate, so I wanted to create something current, easily accessible, and easy to use and understand. We’ve already had enormous interest from organisations and individuals and with approximately 150,000 additional A320 pilots needed over the next 20 years to cope with the worldwide demand, we’re expecting more and more.”

Senior Captain Keith Longden from Andorra was a senior instructor at Airbus Industries Training, where he actually trained the trainers and has both taught and examined pilots learning to fly the Airbus aircraft over the last 25 years.

He has developed many of the techniques used to fly the Airbus today and provided much of the technical input into the V-Prep training system. He said: “We have developed an extremely professional product for pilots, and we have designed it around the way the A320 is flown. We have been absolutely scrupulous with our quality control and are extremely proud of the training we have developed, which we know will save pilots and airlines time and money. Our training is robust, accurate, up to date and will improve the overall learning experience for pilots by making complex procedures easier to learn.”

Pilots can sign up to the training model for $295 a year. Launched in July, the aim is to have 1000 people registered in the first year of operation and expand the site and its capability to offer training on other products in the future.

A test site for pilots to view before they sign up has also been set up and can be viewed by going to: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCWTy3hGaB6_XlmZgEBCpKaw

Visit https://v-prep.com to place your order for an annual subscription. The cost is $295 plus VAT, with FlightDeckFriend customers receiving a 10% discount by using the code fdf10%off during the checkout process.

Why Choose V-Prep?


All the instructors are Training Captains on the A320. Between them they have over 70 years and 40,000 hours of flying experience together with 25,000 hours training on modern jet aircraft in the simulator and in the air.

Captain Kieth Longden was a senior instructor at Airbus  Training in Toulouse (he trained the trainers) and has instructed and examined on many Airbus aircraft for over 25 years. He developed many of the techniques seen in our video’s. Although retired from his full time position he still trains for Airbus freelance, keeping up to date with the latest training information.

Captain James Feeney flew and trained on Boeing and Airbus aircraft for 23 years and instructed and examined on the A320 over the past 10 years. He has flown and trained on the A320 in Europe, America, Asia and the Middle East.

These videos are not shot from a smartphone at the back of a simulator. V-prep have invested significantly in ensuring that the sound and video quality is excellent. Don’t take our word for it, have a look at the demo video yourself.

They present the information using simulator footage, 2D and 3D animation and narration to give you a full understanding of WHAT you need to do and WHY you are doing it and WHEN.

A normal subscription is $295 + VAT for a 12-month subscription. Use the FDF promotional code for a 10% discount.

Once subscribed V-prep offer a full support service via email and phone in case of any problems, and you will be able to stream the videos 24/7.

The answer is EVERYTHING! The platform covers everything you need to know about the A320. All the procedures are derived from Training manuals and Airbus FCOM. They are updated as and when procedures change.

There are over 80 videos in total, including all Normal Procedures, Fight Control Laws and Protection, Abnormal and Emergency Procedures, Supplementary Training and FMGC Programming.

Further videos are being developed and added all the time.