Simulator time counts toward FAA certificates and ratings, but far less of it than most students hope and in very specific ways: a maximum of 2.5 hours toward a private pilot certificate, up to 20 hours toward an instrument rating in an advanced aviation training device, and up to 50 hours toward the total aeronautical experience for a commercial certificate. Those are the outside limits under Part 61 outside a Part 142 training center, and every one of them has conditions attached.
This page puts the numbers and the regulation references in one place, because our other simulator pages deliberately do not. If you want to know what a full-motion device is and how it feels, read about the full-motion flight simulator at Van Nuys; if you want the device categories explained, read FAA-approved flight simulators at Van Nuys. This page is the arithmetic. We are a Part 61 school, which matters a great deal to what follows.
Four Categories, And Why The Word Matters
The regulations use four terms and they are not interchangeable. From simplest to most capable: a basic aviation training device (BATD), an advanced aviation training device (AATD), a flight training device (FTD), and a full flight simulator (FFS). Each is approved by the FAA for particular uses, and the credit a device earns you depends on its category and on the letter of authorization or qualification it holds — not on how impressive it looks or whether it moves.
This is the detail that produces most of the confusion online. A device that moves is not automatically a full flight simulator in the regulatory sense, and a device that does not move can still be an AATD with meaningful instrument credit. Ask which category your device is approved as, and ask to see the paperwork.
What Each Certificate Allows
| Certificate or rating | Regulation | Maximum credit | Condition |
|---|---|---|---|
| Private pilot | 61.109(k)(1) | 2.5 hours in a full flight simulator or flight training device | Device represents the category, class and type as applicable; training from an authorized instructor |
| Private pilot, Part 142 course | 61.109(k)(2) | 5 hours | Training conducted in a course at a Part 142 training center |
| Private pilot, approved Part 142 course | 61.109(k)(3) | Total experience reduced to 35 hours | Satisfactory completion of an approved Part 142 private pilot course |
| Instrument rating, advanced ATD | 61.65 | 20 hours of instrument time | Counts against the 40 hours of actual or simulated instrument time in 61.65(d) |
| Instrument rating, basic ATD | 61.65 | 10 hours of instrument time | As above |
| Instrument rating, FFS or FTD outside Part 142 | 61.65 | 20 hours of instrument time | As above |
| Instrument rating, Part 142 | 61.65 | 30 hours | Training accomplished in a Part 142 course |
| Instrument rating, combined devices | 61.65 | 20 hours total | No more than 20 hours in a full flight simulator, flight training device, aviation training device or any combination, except for the Part 142 case |
| Commercial pilot | 61.129(i) | 50 hours toward total aeronautical experience | From an authorized instructor in a full flight simulator or flight training device |
| Commercial pilot, Part 142 approved course | 61.129(i) | 100 hours | Approved Part 142 commercial course |
Private Pilot: 2.5 Hours, And An Important Footnote
14 CFR 61.109(k)(1) reads, in full: except as provided in paragraph (k)(2), a maximum of 2.5 hours of training in a full flight simulator or flight training device representing the category, class and type, if applicable, of aircraft appropriate to the rating sought, may be credited toward the flight training time required by this section, if received from an authorized instructor.
Read the words "full flight simulator or flight training device" carefully. Paragraph (k) does not mention aviation training devices at all. Credit for time in a BATD or an AATD toward the private pilot certificate comes instead from the device's own FAA letter of authorization, which states exactly what that device may be used for and how much credit it carries. The letter is a real document and any school operating an approved device has one.
So the practical question to ask is not "does simulator time count". It is: which category is this device approved as, what does its letter of authorization say, and will my instructor log the session accordingly? A school that cannot answer that in one sentence is a school to be careful with.
Instrument Rating: Where The Real Money Is
14 CFR 61.65(d) requires 40 hours of actual or simulated instrument time for an instrument-airplane rating, alongside 50 hours of cross-country time as pilot in command of which 10 hours must be in an airplane, and three hours of instrument flight training from an authorized instructor in an airplane within the two calendar months before the practical test.
Against those 40 hours, 61.65 permits a maximum of 20 hours in an advanced aviation training device, 10 in a basic one, and 20 in a full flight simulator or flight training device outside a Part 142 course — with an overall cap of 20 hours from devices in any combination, except in the Part 142 case where 30 hours is allowed.
Half your required instrument time, in other words, can be flown on the ground. That is the single largest device allowance available to a general aviation pilot, and it is why an instrument student who does not use a simulator is usually paying more than they need to. Our Instrument course at $11,700 is built around 20 hours of aircraft and 20 hours of simulator for exactly this reason.
Commercial: Up To 50 Hours
14 CFR 61.129(i) allows an applicant to credit a maximum of 50 hours toward the total aeronautical experience requirements for an airplane rating, provided the experience was obtained from an authorized instructor in a full flight simulator or flight training device. Inside an approved Part 142 course the figure rises to 100 hours, and an applicant who satisfactorily completes a 190-hour approved Part 142 commercial course is considered to have met the total aeronautical experience requirement.
Note the wording: this credit is against total aeronautical experience — the 250 hours — not against the specific training requirements in 61.129(a)(3) or the solo and pilot-in-command items. Our published position is that up to 50 creditable hours toward the Commercial certificate are available in our device, and our Commercial course at $15,400 includes 20 hours of simulator against 30 hours of aircraft.
Currency: The Easiest Win
14 CFR 61.57(c) requires, within the six calendar months preceding the month of a flight in actual or simulated instrument conditions, six instrument approaches, holding procedures and tasks, and intercepting and tracking courses through the use of navigational electronic systems. A pilot may accomplish those requirements in a full flight simulator, flight training device or aviation training device, provided the device represents the category of aircraft for the instrument rating privileges to be maintained and the pilot performs the tasks and iterations in simulated instrument conditions.
That is a genuinely useful allowance. Six approaches, a hold and some tracking is a comfortable session on the ground at $120 an hour inside a package, and it keeps you legal without weather, without a safety pilot and without an airplane. If you have already lapsed, the route back is the instrument proficiency check in 61.57(d), which we cover on the instrument proficiency check page.
Night currency is different. 61.57(b) requires three takeoffs and three landings to a full stop within the preceding 90 days, between one hour after sunset and one hour before sunrise, as sole manipulator of the controls in an aircraft. Plan to fly that one.
What We Have And What It Costs
| Device | Retail per hour | Inside a package |
|---|---|---|
| Redbird MCX full-motion, FAA-approved AATD, single and multi-engine profiles | $200 | $120 |
| Redbird TD2 desktop trainer | $90 | Free with packages |
| Instructor time in the device | $110 | $110 |
| 60-minute simulator experience | $189 | — |
Compare that with the airplanes. A Piper Warrior is $269 an hour retail and $179 inside a package; a Cirrus SR22 Turbo is $649 and $449. For procedures, approaches, emergencies and avionics drills, the device is not a compromise on price, it is a better training environment, because the instructor can freeze it and talk.
One Honest Caveat About Part 142
Several of the larger allowances above — 5 hours for the private, 30 hours for the instrument, 100 hours for the commercial, the 35-hour private and 190-hour commercial course provisions — apply only to training conducted in a course at a training center certificated under Part 142. We are a Part 61 school. We do not hold Part 141 and we are not a Part 142 training center, so those figures are here for completeness and to explain why a competitor's numbers may look different, not because they apply to training with us.
How To Log It
Device time is logged separately from aircraft time, and the entry needs to make clear what you flew and under what approval. Record the device, the training given and the instructor's signature, and note the approaches, holds and tracking tasks specifically if you are logging toward 61.57(c) currency. An instrument time column entry that does not say which device it was flown in is an entry an examiner will question.
Your instructor will tell you exactly how to write it up on the day. If you fly a device somewhere else, ask them the same question before the session rather than after.
Where A Simulator Beats An Airplane
Procedures and checklist flows. Instrument approaches, one after another, without flying a 20-minute repositioning leg between each. Partial-panel and system failures you cannot safely create in an airplane. Emergency scenarios where the correct answer is irreversible. Avionics practice, which is expensive at $449 an hour and cheap at $120. Route rehearsal through Los Angeles airspace before you fly it for the first time.
Where it does not beat an airplane: landings, the feel of the controls, real weather, real radio, real traffic and the whole business of being responsible for an aircraft. The 2.5-hour private pilot limit exists for a reason, and it is a reasonable one.
Related Reading
- Full-motion flight simulator in Los Angeles — what the device is and what an hour in it is like.
- FAA-approved flight simulators at Van Nuys — the device categories explained.
- Instrument rating in Los Angeles — where half your instrument time can come from a device.
- Commercial pilot license in Los Angeles — how the 50 hours fit into 250.
- Instrument proficiency check — the route back after currency lapses.
- Glass cockpit vs steam gauges — the device is reconfigurable, so you can fly both.
Simulator Credit FAQ
How Many Simulator Hours Count Toward A Private Pilot Certificate?
A maximum of 2.5 hours under 14 CFR 61.109(k)(1), in a full flight simulator or flight training device representing the category, class and type as applicable, received from an authorized instructor. It rises to 5 hours only in a course at a Part 142 training center.
Do Aviation Training Devices Count Toward The Private Pilot Certificate?
61.109(k) names only full flight simulators and flight training devices. Credit for a basic or advanced aviation training device comes from that device's FAA letter of authorization, which states what it may be used for. Ask the school which category the device holds and what its letter says.
How Many Simulator Hours Count Toward An Instrument Rating?
Up to 20 hours of the 40 hours of instrument time required by 61.65(d) may be flown in an advanced aviation training device, 10 in a basic one, or 20 in a full flight simulator or flight training device outside Part 142. The overall cap from devices in combination is 20 hours, or 30 hours in a Part 142 course.
How Many Simulator Hours Count Toward A Commercial Certificate?
14 CFR 61.129(i) permits a maximum of 50 hours toward total aeronautical experience from an authorized instructor in a full flight simulator or flight training device, rising to 100 hours in an approved Part 142 course. The credit applies to the 250-hour total, not to the specific training and solo requirements.
Can I Stay Instrument Current In A Simulator?
Yes. 14 CFR 61.57(c) allows the six approaches, holding procedures and tasks, and intercepting and tracking to be accomplished in a full flight simulator, flight training device or aviation training device, provided the device represents the category of aircraft and the tasks are flown in simulated instrument conditions.
Can I Get Night Current In A Simulator?
Night passenger-carrying currency under 61.57(b) calls for three takeoffs and three landings to a full stop in an aircraft between one hour after sunset and one hour before sunrise within the preceding 90 days. Plan to fly those rather than simulate them.
Does Simulator Time Count Toward Total Time?
It is logged separately as training device time rather than aircraft flight time, and it counts toward specific requirements only where a regulation or a device authorization says so. Do not expect it to count toward hiring minimums the way aircraft time does.
What Does An Hour In The Simulator Cost At Van Nuys?
The Redbird MCX full-motion device is $200 per hour retail and $120 per hour inside a course package, with instruction at $110 per hour. The Redbird TD2 desktop trainer is $90 per hour and is included free with packages. A 60-minute simulator experience is $189.
Book An Hour On The Ground
If you are an instrument student, the simulator is the single best value in your course. If you are a rated pilot who has let currency slip, an hour in the device fixes 61.57(c) without a weather delay. And if you have never flown at all, the 60-minute simulator experience is $189 and a very good way to find out whether you like this before you buy a course. Call (818) 330-1318, 9:00 AM to 9:00 PM, seven days, or book a free consultation. A discovery flight in the real airplane is $229 for 60 minutes. We are at 7900 Balboa Blvd, Van Nuys, CA 91406, on Van Nuys Airport.