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True Course Simulations challenges pilots at EAA AirVenture

VFR flight into IMC remains one of the leading causes of fatal aircraft accidents in general aviation. As pilots, we like to think we’d make the right decisions in deteriorating weather conditions.

Attendees take turns flying in virtual reality at the AOPA campus during EAA AirVenture Oshkosh July 25. Photo by David Tulis.

True Course Simulations and AOPA are offering AirVenture visitors the chance to test their decision making by donning a virtual reality headset and taking flight in a number of educational scenarios sure to be a challenge for any pilot.

Pilots and enthusiasts lined up for a virtual reality experience at AOPA's main tent at EAA AirVenture Oshkosh. Photo by David Tulis.

One scenario puts you into a Cessna 172 flying from Utah's Carbon County Regional/Buck Davis Field to the Bolinder Field-Tooele Valley Airport to pick up your friend. You’ve left a little later than you wanted and although the day started out clear, the AWOS at South Valley Regional Airport and Salt Lake City International Airport have gone down to minimums. As you enter the valley you notice a change in the weather and check the Provo Municipal Airport and Spanish Fork Municipal/Woodhouse Field AWOS. They both show clear, but you can see the cloud layer coming down the valley. What will you do—press on toward your destination, climb above the clouds, turn back, make a precautionary landing? All are valid choices, but as they say, choices have consequences… What will keep you out of the VFR-into-IMC accident tally column?

Visit the AOPA tent, located on the flight line across from the Brown Arch to test your skills.

Niki Britton
eMedia Content Producer
eMedia Content Producer Niki Britton joined AOPA in 2021. She is a private pilot who enjoys flying her 1969 Cessna 182 and taking aerial photographs.
Topics: EAA AirVenture, Training and Safety, Weather

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