What impact does the use of flight simulators have on commercial aviation?
Flight simulators are now so good that a new captain can make his very first landing in a particular type of jetliner, with revenue passengers on board, i.e., all his previous landings in that type of airliner were in the simulator. Before flight simulators were that good, pilots had to do dangerous emergency procedures in the actual airplane. The improved technology of flight simulators now allows airlines to avoid the inherent risks of dangerous training maneuvers. The following training crashes demonstrate that danger: 1955, April 4: A United Air Lines, DC-6 (four eng. piston powered), at MacArthur Field, Islip, NY, crashed during a simulated engine failure on takeoff, after the #4 engine was inadvertently placed into reverse thrust. Plane destroyed, all three crew killed. 1962, April 26: FAA Lockheed Constellation (four eng. piston powered), at Canton Island, Phoenix Group, Pacific Ocean, crashed during a simulated 3 engine approach and go-around, as the result of an undetected rev
