Rethinking Transfer-Effectiveness-Ratio-based Cost Savings from Flight Simulators in Ab Initio Training

The costs of flight training place a significant burden on a student aspiring to become a pilot. Studies indicate that current-day simulation technology yields substantial training transfer and that simulator time is cheaper than aircraft time. Yet, the use of flight simulators in primary flight training has been limited. Simulators can reduce the number of aircraft hours (as well as training costs) required to achieve pilot certification. Prior studies have used the “Transfer Effectiveness Ratio” (TER) metric to determine flight training tasks that could benefit from a simulator. However, these models are deficient because, as this study shows, while TER is necessary to determine simulator-benefited training tasks, it is not sufficient. Prevailing simulator and aircraft rental costs must be factored into the model. This study aims to fill this research gap. Examining the relationship between cost savings and TER in the context of training for the private pilot license, this study finds that students benefit from using a simulator even for tasks that are indicated not to transfer effectively (low TER). The study develops a metric that flight training institutions can use to reliably guide the selection of tasks that students should be trained for on a simulator while maximizing their cost savings.