Because, in a public place, a brightly lit lab with eight flight simulators and people walking to and fro, he was confidently having a conversation with himself about the sim session he was about to undertake. He was, as we say in the biz, briefing it.

In commercial aviation, there are a number of briefings that are part of the operational flow. Anyone who’s ever been on an airliner has heard the flight attendant’s safety briefing. On the flight deck there are all kinds of other briefings, but two of the key ones are the takeoff briefing that reviews the selected technique and settings, and the approach briefing that reviews the approach plate for an instrument landing. It would seem like the purpose of these briefings is to ensure that everyone on the team is on the same page and understands the plan.

And while that's true, there's more to it than that.

The very act of briefing what you are planning to do next organizes your thoughts and prepares your body for action. Combined with visualization of the steps, a briefing serves as a "practice run" of a phase of your flight. And this is not just for airline pilots. Briefing makes for safer flying, be it a Boeing to Bangladesh or a Piper Cub to the practice area. As to being on a sim during flight training, well, the idea is to "simulate" a flight, so you should treat sim sessions no different than any other flight.

If you have a co-pilot or a passenger, naturally that person needs to know what you are about to do. But even when you are all alone, you also need to know what you are about to do. So brief it, even when you're solo. Oh, and not just inside your head. Talk out loud. Talking out loud activates different neural pathways and is more effective in preparing your mind and body for the operation.

Brief it. Always. Out loud. Even when you are alone. And yes, even on a sim.