Compared to general aviation, the airlines enjoy an enviable safety record. Part of that record can be attributed to the aircraft they operate – all-weather, high-performance machines with robust and redundant systems. Plus they operate mostly into big airports sporting long, obstruction-free runways equipped with the latest safety enhancements.

But perhaps the most significant factor in that safety record is the high-quality simulator training airline flight crewmembers receive from the very first days of their employment that continues regularly throughout their career. These simulators are aircraft type-specific and mimic the aircraft flight and systems characteristics so completely that most airline flight crewmembers qualifying on a new type don’t operate the real…