Pilot Products: Go ahead, pull the 'chute

Flight1 Aviation Technologies’ Enterprise G1000 Simulator is an advanced aviation training device that is Cirrus-centric, encompassing the SR20, SR22, and SR22T. The software supports full wide area augmentation system (WAAS) approaches, includes simulated ADS-B traffic, and offers taxi charts, along with aural and visual terrain awareness and warning system B (TAWS B) and obstacle alerts. The hardware includes a sidestick and a Cirrus-style power lever with takeoff/go-around (TO/GA) switch and mixture control. The avionics setup is faithful as well, with flight management system control boxes configured to the Cirrus Prospective or Plus.

Developer and Flight1 President Jim Rhoades said his design provides a level of detail that’s missing in other simulators, particularly for Cirrus pilots. “It’s one of the most popular aircraft out there now, and we recognized there wasn’t a market segment that addressed it properly. That’s why there’s all the attention in the flight controls, and in the components as well as the avionics.”

I found the flight console incredibly detailed, down to the physical position of buttons, switches, and knobs. That’s so you can transfer your practice directly to the airplane. The controls and switches felt solid, which builds muscle memory and speaks to a well-made design that will withstand the rigors of a flight school environment. Flying a single-pilot WAAS approach into Green Bay-Austin Straubel International Airport, even with simulated bad weather, was almost academic, and I wish it were that easy in an actual airplane. With a tool like this to practice with, flying such approaches could become much more routine.

And yes, you can pull the parachute. A handle positioned as it would be in a Cirrus allows you to do that, and you can almost feel the jolt when the parachute deploys and watch the airplane drift down to the ground.

The base price of the sim is $49,995, which includes hardware mounted on a platform in your choice of configuration and a 43-inch, high-resolution monitor. Flight1 also manufactures simulators for the Piper PA–28 and Cessna 208 Caravan, with additional makes and models pending certification from the FAA.

Web: flight1tech.com

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