Welcome to flightsafety houston
By Hugh Davis
Instructor and student pilot get hands on training in a full motion simulator at FlightSafety Houston.
Well before you arrive, we have been working to make sure you have a good training experience. The customer service department has learned some of the characteristics of the Turbo Commander, and is able to schedule customers in the correct simulator. They understand the training program for both initial and recurrent, whether it is an FAA Part 61 Flight Review, Part 135 training session, or an extra session in your aircraft. One of the questions that will be asked of you by a customer service agent is the model and serial number of your aircraft. With that information, your program manager and instructor will have all the correct reference and training material to begin class.
They also provide helpful information regarding special needs, lodging in the Houston Hobby Airport area, and, of course, the best restaurants in the area.
Anthony Graham, the Houston Center Manager, has a cadre of experts that have been with FlightSafety for many years. Some of them are working behind the curtain, but be assured the Director of Standards, the Director of Training, and the Turbo Commander Program Manager are here to ensure you will receive the best training in the world.
Since the simulators were moved to Houston from Oklahoma, the simulator techs have been improving on the fidelity of the 690 and JetProp simulators, improving the visuals, and even repairing and reupholstering the seats. Regardless of the time the simulator is scheduled for a training session there is a tech at the facility to address any unscheduled maintenance items.
The Houston Learning Center has a total of seven Turbo Commander instructors, all with a vast level of aviation experience from corporate and airline to military and government flight operations. Your instructor will tailor the presentation based on your aircraft�s specific equipment. In addition, all of the Turbo Commander programs can be taught in English and Spanish.
The biennial and annual training required by the FAA and your insurance company also is required of your instructor. You sometimes may have in your ground school class an instructor who is attending the class to meet their annual requirements. They later receive training in the simulator, and are required to pass a flight check in the simulator to ATP standards. Your instructor also receives training in how to be an effective instructor, and must demonstrate proficiency as a simulator and ground school instructor�sometimes with the FAA observing.
Before you even arrive for your first day of training you will notice changes that have taken place in the training program. You will receive in the mail a brief study guide that, in conjunction with your aircraft�s operating handbook, will help prepare you for your ground school.
A year and a half ago one of our Turbo Commander instructors, with input from the other instructors, created a new slide presentation to correspond to a new booklet that represents all the slides, with plenty of room to take notes. The slide presentation includes new photos with better resolution. Most of the graphics are created using computer models. Cockpit photos are an exact replicate of the simulator where you will receive training.
If it has been awhile since you have been to the Houston Learning Center, you will be in for a better and more rewarding experience. We all look forward to tipping our hat and welcoming you in our Texas fashion.
Hugh Davis is an instructor at FlightSafety International's Twin Commander Learning Center at Houston Hobby Airport. For more information contact the Learning Center at 800/927-1521.
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