> but even a complete simulator such as the one used for pilot training won’t be enough to actually learn all those systems - that’s why it takes years of training.
Pilot here, the simulator is absolutely good enough. It's not uncommon for the first time landing a real jet after sim training to be on a normal passenger flight, just with a training captain next to you.
Learning systems takes about two weeks and is done in a classroom + computer based training (usually an ipad app).
What takes "years" in the US is the requirement to first fly 1500 hours in a small single engine plane before you get to the airlines. This requirement does not exist in Europe, here you can go to that simulator + classroom training right after getting your commercial license.
Pilot here, the simulator is absolutely good enough. It's not uncommon for the first time landing a real jet after sim training to be on a normal passenger flight, just with a training captain next to you.
Learning systems takes about two weeks and is done in a classroom + computer based training (usually an ipad app).
What takes "years" in the US is the requirement to first fly 1500 hours in a small single engine plane before you get to the airlines. This requirement does not exist in Europe, here you can go to that simulator + classroom training right after getting your commercial license.