JUNE 2025AEROSPACEDEFENSEREVIEW.COM8During the early days of airline flight training, there were no simulators like the ones we see today. Training was done in the aircraft. There was a powerful incentive to do well, as no one wanted to crash the airplane. There was also a tendency to not get too close to the edge of the aircraft envelope.Ground school at major Airlines was very demanding; The instructor would place two three-inch binders in front of each new hire and state, "Have these memorized within two weeks." During the oral exam, pilots were expected to draw every system on the blackboard and be ready to explain how each system worked, including limitations, pressures, temperatures, and voltages. The training was a very adversarial experience, with instructors always trying to "stump the chump" in an everlasting game of "You bet your Job." The trainees worked hard to ensure they were prepared for the check ride after six simulator periods. During the final training event, If a trainee was good, the instructor would often keep loading the trainee until the aircraft was barely flyable. If the trainee kept the aircraft flying, the sixth simulator would often be Captain Lance Lau is a retired airline captain with 20,000 hours of line flying and 15,000 hours of simulator training given during his 44 year career in aviation. He was a Boeing 737 LCA, instructor/evaluator and APD as well as a Boeing 777 instructor/evaluator and APD. Captain Lau has flown Boeing 707, 727, 737, 747, 777, McDonald Douglas DC-10, DC-3 and NAMC YS-11 aircraft. He is currently the Director of Training for a regional air carrier in the United States.THE PAST, PRESENT AND FUTURE OF AIRLINE FLIGHT TRAINING DEPARTMENTSBy Lance Lau, Director of Training, CommuteAirLance LauIn My OpinionIn My OpinionIn My Opinion
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