12/06/2025
Last week I completed my recurrent training at Aircraft Simulator Training (AST) and wanted to give my two cents about it, especially since I also recently I did my initial somewhere else
In a nutshell, if you are on the fence trying to decide where to do your initial/recurrent, STOP!, do yourself a favor and try the people who will really teach (among many other things) how to survive an engine failure after rotation (for you AND your aircraft).
Having recently done my 421 initial somewhere else, I was intrigued about AST’s emergency training, so I decided to make a trip to Burnet, TX and give them a try. Oh boy! was I in for a life experience. Everything I learned from Rick McGuire and Chick Crisefi had one, and one purpose only, to give me the knowledge and techniques to keep me and my passengers safe. This is a no BS course, taught by people who not only fly, but own these airplanes (they are parked right there, by the simulator building in the hangar), this is real “advanced” training.
So, let’s get to specifics on why I believe this training to so good:
1. They have mastered a technique for aircraft stabilization on the most critical phase of flight. After practicing with Chris over and over the “how”, and understanding the “why”, I realized what I had been taught before would not necessarily be applicable in real life. Time is of essence, and what one does right then and there, will be crucial between destroying the aircraft after running an airport fence down a ravine or flying back to land.
2. The aircraft systems and engine ground training are completely designed to understand what the AC is SAYING to you when something goes wrong (Risk is an aircraft whisperer…). Everything I learned on the mechanic side, was to understand what would happen and understand the consequences of a system failure, and specially what to do about it. More than teaching you systems and how they work, Rick teaches you how to THINK when something goes wrong, and thus, reach the right conclusion.
3. The Simulators are new and precise, they are motion simulators, the graphics are fast and very accurate.
4. Last but not least, now I can really appreciate how important is to receive training from pilots who have flown and are current on the aircraft one is training for. Before you do any simulator training, ASK your instructor when was the last time he or she flew your AC make and model, you be surprised as there are instructors teaching simulator training, who have not flown the real AC in decades (or never), simply put this is dangerous.
Just to clarify, Chris not only taught me what to do when something goes wrong right after takeoff, but on every phase of flight, VMC and IMC, with and without bad weather (these motion simulators really move when in turbulence!).
I am looking forward to retrain with them in the near future and greatly recommend others to do so.
Julio Carbonell
Twin Cessna 421C
