Airtime: Flight Simulators Keep Pilots Sharp During Pandemic
By Tangi QUEMENER
03/11/21 AT 10:08 PM
The coronavirus crisis has clipped the wings of airline pilots but those who have kept their jobs are doing what they can to stay sharp -- using flight simulators when they're not in the few planes in the air.
Pilots can't afford to stay grounded for too long.
To maintain their license to fly, they must meet a minimum requirement set down by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) to carry out three take-off and landings in the last three months.
"It's not normally an issue," says Tanja Harter, an Airbus A320 pilot based in Munich who is also head of technical issues for the European Cockpit Association (ECA), which represents some 40,000 flyers.