Testimonials and Case Studies

Click here for a detailed flight report from a real world Air Traffic Controller.

Experience well beyond hours in a logbook
Just wanted to pass on my thanks. I passed my oral and checkride with flying colors at 51 hours PIC XC, and 40 hours instrument time. My CFII noted that I was the most prepared student he’d ever had and the DPE was pleasantly shocked with my knowledge of instrument flight despite my low overall hours.

I give huge credit to PE. I learned how to fly in the system, manage IFR reroutes, complex clearances, non-towered ops, implications of high MEAs and MCAs (something we don’t have in the Midwest), etc. I still have a ton to learn and I usually learn something from every flight in PE that I can apply to my real world flying.

Thanks again,

Tytus A.

Thoughts from Germany
I joined PE in June 15 and by now I passed the ratings up to I-11. It was a very interesting and sometimes exciting experience. First difficulty for me as a non-native speaker (from Germany) was to understand what the controller said. Listening to the stream of fast spoken words my brain stopped on the first word I didn’t catch and the rest was mostly lost completely. Often I needed several “Say again please” to understand a single instruction. So THANK YOU controllers for your patience.

The possibility of listening to the recorded audio afterwards was very helpful for me. Some instructions I monitored again and again until I understood. Today it’s not so difficult anymore, even if sometimes – in unusual situations – I need to ask for repetition.

The time with PE was a great experience for me and I learned a lot! You offer a fantastic service for sim pilots. Thank you to the whole team.

Werner Schmitz

Son passes PPL, now moving to instrument
I just want to pass along that my Son who signed up for PilotEdge back in September 2014 passed his private pilot check-ride and is now an official private pilot! He is currently continuing his training and working on instrument rating now. From his instructor, and through the check-ride personnel, they were impressed [by] how much knowledge he had going into this program. It’s without question the PilotEdge ratings were extremely helpful to reach this milestone! He did all the V & I ratings. Anyway, thanks much for the service you provide – it certainly was valuable! We both have [PilotEdge] accounts – someday I hope to catch up to him!

Ray West – Mount Vernon, WA

Sim enthusiast takes first flight lesson
I started using PilotEdge a few months ago as a simulator enthusiast. I have to admit that I was quite nervous to get started but once I did, I really enjoyed it. I have only clocked about 20 hours on the network but it has been a very valuable experience. My realization of this came when I finally took my first real flying lesson last week to get started on my private pilot license. I had mentioned to the instructor that I had been using PilotEdge and he was familiar with the service although had never tried it. During that first lesson of mine he let me handle ALL radio communication with ATC. We were flying around locally and I received a departure frequency and [squawk] code as well as having to make adjustments to my route due to incoming commercial traffic. I have to say that out of all the things I was thinking about up there, the radio was the easiest for me. It shocked my instructor and he has since said that he is pushing PilotEdge on all of his students!

Just thought I would share that with you.

Thanks!

Sonny Borba

Long time sim user
I just wanted to let you know how much I’ve enjoyed PilotEdge and your Real World IFR videos since joining three months ago. I’ve been a licensed pilot since 1988, IFR rated since 1995, a passion that for me started with Bruce Artwick’s MS Flight Simulator and SubLogic. I pretty much learned VOR navigation flying between Chicago Meiggs and Champaign-Urbana over a crudely drawn landscape of geometric squares. At a certain point, it just made sense to take up the real thing. I now have 1600 hours and own a 1962 Piper Comanche.

I fly about 150 hrs a year and maintain my IFR currency, which includes regular proficiency checks with CFIIs. I have to admit that working with PilotEdge made me realize just how much things have changed since I got my IFR ticket. The existence of TEC routes was one of them. (I have a pilot friend who just passed his IFR flight exam who said he didn’t about them, either. Go figure.) While so much of the flight simulator industry has focused expanded upon and improving scenery packages and aircraft fleets, I find that PilotEdge brings Flight Simulation to a place where the difference between simulated and real has never has never been narrower. I truly believe I am becoming a more proficient pilot using PilotEdge

Tom Lecompte

Getting back into it
I can’t tell you how much your service has made me excited about online flying again. I had such a disappointing experience with [another online ATC service] that I’d basically stopped flying online and interacting with ATC. PE has totally changed my mind, and I can’t wait to get back home and in the air again! I’m going to start my real-life PPL training when I’m back and I’m sure PE will help me immeasurably.

Thanks for such a good product, and keep up the good work!

Evan

Feeling confident
I’m just about to solo and my instructor told me I’m one of the first students he’s had to solo with the least amount of hours logged thus far. I attribute this to my experience on PilotEdge and the rating program. I feel very confident on the radios, which allows me to dedicate my mental energies towards actually flying the plane…
I’m learning that flying is largely a matter of being able to divide your attention between multiple variables. It’s nice to not feel overwhelmed when the radio chatter is busy and to feel confident I can comply with ATC instruction if they throw a curve ball at me.
I also find myself subconsciously looking for traffic in the right spot because I picked up on the radio chatter: such as looking down at the runway and final corridor when I’m on a crosswind to downwind turn because I heard tower clear another aircraft on for the runway I’m about to land on. It’s a good feeling to be able to tell ATC I have the traffic in sight before they ask me to look for it. I can see how PilotEdge has allowed me to be much more aware of my surroundings in the real world.

Brett M.

Silky smooth comms
I had the opportunity to fly this weekend. It was my first real flight alone in a number of months.

My flight was between two Class D airports in the Atlanta area. Instead of being the intimidating monster that occupies far too much of my attention and concern, on this flight my communication and procedures with ATC were silky smooth and second nature. As they should be.

Many thanks to the guys at Pilotedge for such an awesome, applicable, and worthwhile service. You give flight simulation the one thing that it has never been able to fully capture (aside from the myriad idiosyncrasies of the landing flare) and make it a truly legitimate training and proficiency tool.

I promote Pilotedge to every CFI, FBO, and flight school that I come in contact with and hope the service will continue to grow.

Keith Thomas

Appreciated by controllers
Many thanks again for the great, professional service you gave me today and I just want to reiterate that the service you provide training pilots is invaluable and very much appreciated by controllers. I work on weekends and tend to see a lot of training pilots, as well as those that only fly “every so often,” forget to check-in, stray off course or forget to change to the Towers at the appropriate time. So it’s great that they can come to your site to practice or keep proficient.

Walt Mackie, Pt Magu TRACON

My wallet thanks you
…you all have a fantastic product and it is so worth the $20/mo. for quality ATC and procedures. I’ve used PE for at least 6 months…and it has benefited me immensely. I started my real world pilot training [3 months ago] and am currently halfway through my private pilot license now in the minimum time so far! My instructor told me he has never had anyone go through the PPL license in such short time and know how to hammer out radio calls on the first day. I owe so much of my [comfort] with ATC and procedures to PE and the wonderful people here who make it run smoothly day in and day out. Without this experience I would not be able to get through my PPL this quick. On many levels thank you; but most of all my wallet thanks you!

Marcos D

Blew away my instructors
I just wanted to say thank you and your staff for PilotEdge. Because of PE, I blew away my flight instructors with radio traffic and other flight theories.

The first time my instructor had me call for taxi and takeoff clearance, I was like a pro and impressed him. I got a taxi clearance of “taxi runway 26 via echo, alpha charlie, cross 31.” My instructor keyed up to respond at the same time I did, but I was able to beat him and spit out the instructions before he did.

Matt D

Patience with Student Pilot
… thank you for the incredible patience and kindness you showed to my student pilot the other night. His first experience on PE was fantastic… I wish you could see his expression upon realization of this incredible learning tool. Nothing like sharing the excitement of flight with a young student pilot. I count it a privilege to play any part in his learning process. Thank you for all you do to provide this valuable learning environment.

Herb Price (2nd testimonial)

It’s what’s been missing
…completed my first IFR flight last night using your service. All I can say is, wow. I am very impressed with the level of professionalism of your controllers.

I am currently working on my (RW) instrument rating and for the most part seem to have the various approaches down. However, flying in either X-Plane or Prepar3d/FSX lacked that final “real world” intensity when it comes to performing maneuvers under the scrutiny of a ATC.

After successfully completing my approach and landing into San Maria – ILS 12, upon shutting down it was easily the most realistic simulated flight I have ever taken. On the ground, sitting back in my chair, it was quite exhilarating and I realized after years of “flight-simming”, you have provided the missing piece. I am hooked and can’t wait to connect to the network again:)

Thanks for providing this wonderful service, I will be letting every pilot that I meet know how effective and worthwhile Pilot Edge is to the complete immersion and full training experience.

Wayne Taylor

Identical to real world flight
…I can use my IPad exactly as I would in my plane, plus live ATC that’s as good as the real thing! I know because I did this flight on my sim on Tuesday and flew the real thing on Wednesday morning and it was near exact. [Note: video of Dan’s flight on PilotEdge]

Dan Katz

Student pilot, second solo after 7 hours
…after 7 hrs of training I am on record pace to complete my pilot training AND that is owed in a huge way to the training and practice I have received from PilotEdge and the X-plane simulator…

It all seems to make sense now I am doing it for real and transitioning Bravos, Charlies and Deltas!! Flight Following, visual approaches and patterns around unfamiliar airports are made much easier now that I can concentrate on flying the aircraft and not being frightened of the radio work! Thanks again!! you guys are fantastic! [Note: video of Phil’s 2nd solo flight]

Phillip Wyatt

Seeing the benefits on the first instrument lesson
The benefit is tremendous to students. My instructor yesterday commented that the practice via PE was obvious and my skills are way more advanced than most instrument students, especially since I have less than 100 hours RW total time.

I did my first RW ILS approach yesterday and handled everything smoothly, including making a perfect radio call in response to the clearance which amazed my instructor. No way I would have done that so well without PE.

Overall confidence level was very high. I felt right at home. It was compounded for me because most of my private training was done from an uncontrolled field. Now I’m getting my instrument out of a controlled field. So PE helped with both tower and IFR comms. I haven’t filed an IFR flight plan or flown under IFR yet other than practice approaches, but I feel confident that I could do it right now.

Chris Venable

Learning something every time
I have learned so much and continue to learn each time I fly on PilotEdge. I’ve said it before, but you really need to know how much PilotEdge has done to advance the skill sets of all us sim pilots. I enjoy immense satisfaction from the hard work and serious approach necessary to operate aircraft within this accurate representation of real world flight with ATC. I appreciate your service more than I can express here and look forward to seeing many more pilots join the ranks at PilotEdge.

Herb Price

More real than a Level-D simulator
The experience is, really, just amazing. THIS is a HUGE step towards really feeling like you are in the airplane! I really got sweaty palms flying X-Plane with real-weather on, talking to a PilotEdge controller… it was as close as I have ever gotten to feeling like I am in a real airplane… and that includes my time in the Boeing 777 full-motion sim they use to train pilots.

Austin Meyer — author of X-Plane

Shaving off the rust
This is the best tool I have for making me a safer better pilot. I took a flight around Sonoma County this past Sunday. The day before I took the flight 2 times on PE, flying it to the letter. When I got up in the air everything seemed old hat already. I was prepared for everything, hadn’t talked to a controller in 2 years but it was like nothing.

Jacob Eiting — Norcal private pilot

“In the system” without a Hobbs meter
I’ve been a member of PE now for about 6 months. I just finished my (RW) instrument rating in April, and I can say having access to this system was incredibly helpful in getting across the line.

I think PE is oriented to those folks, like me, who need real-life interactions with ATC, conducted in a real-world way, consistently and accurately. Every radio position is monitored, so you get to talk with Clearance Delivery, Ground, Tower, Departures and Centers (and back through the chain) no matter where you’re coming from or going to. I still use it, but less than I did, because I find that it adds a dimension to my flight simming that nothing else can. I’m sure the RW pilots here can tell you that the biggest challenge in flying, especially IFR, is getting and keeping your brain tuned and ahead of the airplane, and being able to smoothly handle the a/c, communications and navigation, all at the same time. PE has been fantastic for me in that regard.

For me, it’s worth the $$$. I’m willing to spend…to have a source for staying “in the system” without paying by the Hobbs hour.

TomATL – PilotEdge User

Learning fast
“I’ve learned more in the 11 [pilot training program] flights I’ve completed this past week than I have in a year of flying.”
Michael Kilbride

What Sim Training Should Be Like
“I invited my instructor friend Trevin Carlson over to see my sim setup and introduce him to PilotEdge as well as allow me to log the approaches for currency. Trevin flies a Challenger for a living … I’ve got to tell you, Trevin was amazed. He said that this is what sim training should be like and that he hadn’t seen this level of sophistication, even with the work he has done at SimCom and FlightSafety.”

Dr. Zane Gard, in his review of PilotEdge for AVSIM

More Profound than I Expected
“The experiences I’ve had on PilotEdge have been far more profound than I expected. Each flight I’ve become more and more comfortable flying ‘in the system’ and I’m a much better pilot because of it. The controllers are professional and treat you just like real life ATC.

“You have to change frequencies as you travel through the system. They offer you shortcuts just the way it’s done in real life. There are other airplanes on the frequency with you, and sometimes you have to wait for a break to get in.

“I can practice as much as I want and I know that the next time I file IFR in real life, I’ll be far better prepared.”

Bob Carpenter

Up and Running in Five Minutes
“Just flew on the system with X-Plane Mac. I’m so excited, what a great training tool! I’m a four-year private pilot in the NY metro area. This will most definitely help reinforce one of the most important skills a metro area pilot has: communication! Great Job. I was able to get up and running within five minutes of downloading the plug-in. Where do I send my $20 a month?”

Jon Hagopian

The Controllers Were Extremely Helpful
“What an awesome experience! I told the controllers that it was my first time ever trying to fly IFR and the two guys were extremely helpful. The last controller even stayed online late so I could finish my flight…Anyway, I just wanted to drop a quick note and let you know what a great experience I had my first time signing on and am looking forward to future flights.”

Matt Chuman

Most Realistic Experience I Have Ever Had With a Sim
“Today was my first day on PilotEdge. I flew KSNA-KPSP in a C182, and KPSP-KSNA in a Beech B60T. It was incredible how realistic the experience was. The controllers were perfect. The other traffic was so realistic, it was hard to believe I was in a sim. I will definitely be back, and I’ll be bringing some friends. This was by far the best, most realistic experience I have ever had with a sim. I have some real world experience, PPL, so I can tell just how great this is. Outstanding job to all of your controllers. Well Done!!!”

Glenn Duerr

I Actually Caught Myself White Knuckled On the Yoke!
“I have spent about 3 weeks with PilotEdge. After a very easy setup and launch of the application, I was getting routed around by real ATC’s and printing piles of APP/DEP plates and digging for my Directory. There are planes and helicopters everywhere! Constant chatter on comms. I feel like I need to have my head on a swivel at all times. I actually caught myself white knuckled on the yoke. I’ve never found such an immersed multiplayer environment that I use in free flight. I can’t tell you how fantastic this all is, and how privileged I feel to be a part of it.”

Shane Schmidt — (Host of 10-Minute Taxi)

A Fundamental Tool in My IFR Training
“I’m a private pilot and have completed all requirements to get my IFR certification, except, of course, doing the check ride, because I don’t feel sharp enough for that (I bet my instructor agrees with that). I’ve found and started using PE just a couple days ago, but it has already become a fundamental tool in my training to the IFR certification. A lot of the skills required for that certification can only be obtained by the proper mental conditioning, and PE is definitely a cost effective way to get that. Great job!”

Max Lago

My Ability to Stay Ahead of the Airplane is Getting More Consistent
“I am just recently current r/w after not having flown for 20 years, and I’m looking at finally getting that instrument rating I started back then…I am thrilled to be able to have X-Plane and PilotEdge. After each session on PilotEdge, I can just feel how my ability to stay ahead of the airplane is getting more and more solid and consistent. So thanks again, and I look forward to talking with you and the rest of the PE team in the PE skies!”

Doug Dunston

An Opportunity to Learn From Mistakes I Didn’t Have to Make in Real Life
“I have found PE extraordinary for training purposes. I have had the opportunity to learn from mistakes I didn’t have to make in real life in the air and they are now burned into memory. By learning in the sim with PE I don’t have to answer to the FAA, write any letters or be subject to any license action. My overall attention to smaller details is being honed by using PE. If other pilots can truly understand the immense value that this offers… the word just has to get out!”

Dr. Zane Gard