prestosim Citation recurrent

[BoilerUP]

I did my CE500 initial at Simcom also after 50ish hours in the right seat of the airplane...my instructor had ZERO time in a Citation but was a career airline instructor so his teaching methods and experience almost made up for never having actually flown a C-II. He was a very good instructor, but I felt fairly ineffective when it came to operational questions.

The training was a piece of cake, but I did manage to learn a thing or two about the airplane in the process.

I can't say the experience was any different than my previous training at FSI...20 minute long coffee breaks, 90 minute lunches, and far, FAR too many wasted hours of war stories.

 

[Fly91]

I got my initial CE-500 type at SIMCOM and this was not my experience at all. Can't speak to the Lear, Hawker, or FTD-based training, but I felt that my training was very good. Two instructors had lots of operational experience in the aircraft, and two did not, but all were professional and never read papers during a sim session. They even worked out several hours of additional single-pilot training in the sim for me, since I would be flying a 501, without additional charge.

I've been to FSI for two recurrents since then and am consistantly amazed that they get away with charging what they do. Do you really need to get a bagfull for crap EVERY time you go to recurrent? I always wonder how much all that stuff in the bag (and the bag) costs.

No matter which company, nothing irritates me more than having an instructor with zero experience in the aircraft teach recurrent to guys with thousands of hours in the plane. I could get the same info through a computer-based training program at home and it wouldn't cost $5K.

I hear ya, and thats why I said in my original post (not all of the insructors). There are good ones at every sim school, you just have to hope to get them.

One of there Learjet instructors has ZERO PIC time and he's been there for almost 2 years teaching.

Yes, FSI has hilarious prices, I have no idea why there so different. I recently locked in Lear 45 prices at Bombardier in Dallas for intitial type-rating courses for $21,500....FSI wanted $29,500. Figure that BS out. About 30% more.

 

[Fly91]

I can't say the experience was any different than my previous training at FSI...20 minute long coffee breaks, 90 minute lunches, and far, FAR too many wasted hours of war stories.

Thats the worst thing at SimCom. Once they get started on stories, they never stop. I've been there 3 times for recurrent and they have literally talked about stories for 3 hours at a time. Last time I went there one of the customers got up and walked downstairs to tell the manager he wanted another instructor immediately. That was ackward but he didn't put up with any of that crap.

 

[7KCAB]

I've heard of guys requesting certain instructors at SIMCOM for recurrent which is what I will do if I go there in the future to avoid the "crap shoot".

Although my overall training was good at SIMCOM, I will say that my 501 "differences" consisted of a retired airline captain with ZERO time in any business jet, let alone a Citation, reading through the 550 manual and the 501 differences supplement and saying things like "hmm, looks like the 501 holds 3800 lbs of fuel as opposed to the 550's 5008 lbs..." etc. What a waste of time! Can you believe the insurance company required THAT?

I have noticed very little difference between SIMCOM and FSI as far as the 550 program is concerned. Not trying to sound like a SIMCOM add, but cost was the biggest difference I have seen between the two programs.