X-Plane is now certified for a very wide range of FAA-certification levels with a wide range of companies.
So, how do you GET the FAA-Certified X-Plane, and what you can you do with it?
First of all, there is NO SUCH THING as FAA-Certified flight simulation STANDALONE SOFTWARE. Only full flight simulator DEVICES can be certified: This includes both the hardware and the software combined together! So how do you get such a device, powered by X-Plane, to meet your flight-training needs? Easy! Read on!
FAA-CERTIFIED X-PLANE FROM PFC
The primary supplier of FAA-Certified flight simulators based on X-Plane is PFC. That's
www.flyPFC.com.
PFC has a wide range of hardware, from a $3,000 basic desktop package to $60,000 full cockpits, and they can custom-build cockpits for new airplanes, as well. They have achieved FAA and Transport Canada and European JAR certification for PCATD, ATD, Advanced ATD, and FTD levels, all with hardware that is driven by X-Plane. So, if you want to buy an FAA-Certified Flight-Training system, powered by X-Plane, then PFC is the way to go. We work extensively with PFC to get X-Plane working perfectly with their hardware, and vice-versa.
FAA-CERTIFIED X-PLANE FROM FIDELITY
As well as PFC, Fidelity Flight Simulation has obtained FAA approval (documented here) to train pilots towards their Commercial Certificate, or even your AIRLINE TRANSPORT CERTIFICATE. This training is done in a full-motion simulator, using X-Plane as the simulator software.
This is the first time ANY consumer-priced software has EVER gotten this level of certification.
Now, with X-Plane, we have a flight sim that can be used for logging time towards your instrument rating, Commercial Certificate, or even your AIRLINE TRANSPORT CERTIFICATE! Actually LOGGING this time requires you to be in a Motus full-motion sim (price tag: about $150,000.00) with an instructor, but, if you want X-Plane without the $150,000 cost... then you can have it for about $79.00 right here!
BUILD YOUR OWN X-PLANE SIM FOR FLIGHT TRAINING
Fidelity has gotten some very high certification with X-Plane, and PFC makes a wide variety of certified simulation hardware that is designed to work with X-Plane, but let's say you DON'T want to get a unit from PFC or Fidelity, but want to build your OWN instead. This could be a pretty big challenge, so going with hardware right out of the box from PFC is probably your best move, but if you do want to build your OWN simulator, either for personal use or to sell to others, then you simply need to decide what type of sim you want to build, and get the X-Plane DVDs or USB keys for the job. To do this, you will simply buy X-Plane DVD's from this site (one copy per computer) update to the latest copy of X-Plane with our updater form this site, and then just plug in USB keys that you can buy at this site to unlock the flight-training features! In other words, the X-Plane that you can download right here has all the FAA-certified features built in: You just have to buy USB keys to UNLOCK them all! What are the features and USB keys required? Read on!
You can build what we call a 'level-1' sim, 'level-2' sim, 'level-3' sim, or 'level-4' sim. Here are the descriptions:
Level-1 X-Plane sim (requires one X-Plane DVD for each copy of X-Plane on the network)
A level-1 sim is what you get when you download X-Plane form this site and use it for whatever you want, with no USB keys plugged in. You can network many copies of X-Plane to act as external visuals, external cockpits, instructor stations, and the like. Just get one X-Plane DVD for each computer in your X-Plane network. This system could never be certified by the FAA or any other authority for loggable flight-training, because it does not self-test for presence of flight controls or useable frame-rate. But, since you only need one X-Plane DVD for each computer, this setup is amazingly affordable and easy to assemble at almost no cost, even though you could never CERTIFY the system.
Level-2 X-Plane sim (requires one level-2 USB key for each copy of X-Plane or EIS-App on the network)
A level-2 sim lets you do everything above, plus EFIS-App, a nifty little standalone program that runs on it's own computer that gives a very realistic Avidyne PFD and MFD. To run a level-2 sim, just get a copy of X-Plane from this web site for each computer that shall be networked, and a copy of EFIS-App downloaded from this web-site for each computer running an Avidyne PFD or MFD. You can hook TWO monitors up to ONE computer running EFIS-App so that you only have to buy ONE computer to run both the Avidyne PFD and MFD, which will save you some money. This sim still is NOT certifiable, because it does NOT do flight-control or frame-rate tests, but it does let you network all the copies of X-Plane you like, have the external visuals and instructor station, and have a very realistic Avidyne in EFIS-App to boot! It can be great training for any steam-gauge or Avidyne-equipped aircraft. You will need one level-2 USB key for each copy of X-Plane and EFIS-App in your network.
NOTE: A LEVEL-2 KEY OR HIGHER IS REQUIRED FOR COMMERCIAL USE, WHETHER OR NOT FOR FLIGHT-TRAINING.
Level-3 X-Plane sim (requires one level-3 USB key for each copy of X-Plane or EFIS-App on the network)
A level-3 sim lets you do everything above, plus it can drive a real Garmin 430, a real Garmin 1000, and EFIS-App as well. Also, a level-3 sim DOES check for flight controls and self-tests frame-rate to be sure that flight controls are present and frame-rate is acceptable for FAA certification. This is needed for any flight simulator that is to be certified. To install, simply buy one copy of X-Plane for each computer in the network running X-Plane, download EFIS-App for any computer running a simulated Avidyne display, and buy one level-3 USB key for each copy of X-Plane or EFIS-App in the network. When you put the level-3 key into the computer running X-plane that you download from this site, X-Plane will do all of these things, and removes the "Home-Use" message that appears during start-up, and replace it with a 'Flight-Training Approved" message.
NOTE: If you want to drive a real G430 or G1000, then the trick, of course, is that you must GET a G430 or G1000, and make the wiring harnesses to plug them in to the serial or ethernet cables... if you don't know how to do this, then you are better off buying your simulators boxed and ready from PFC! PFC DOES provide ready-made units with real G430s and G1000s installed and running.
Level-4 X-Plane sim (requires one level-4 USB key for each copy of X-Plane or EFIS-App on the network)
A level-4 sim does all of the above, plus EFIS-App will simulate the AVIO system in the Eclipse Jet. This option is currently only available from Excel Aviation. (email
info@X-Plane.com for more info)
Summary:
So, since X-Plane has been approved for flight-training in many countries to many levels, you should be able to use it to build your own flight simulator by simply getting X-Plane from this site, getting level-2 or -3 USB-keys from this site, and possibly getting EFIS-App from this site, and then building your own hardware!
Level-1: Requires 1 DVD per computer, lets you network many copies of X-Plane.
Level-2: Requires 1 level-2 USB key per computer, gives you all of the above plus EFIS-App for simulated Avidynes, and lets you use X-Plane for commercial use.
Level-3: Requires 1 level-3 USB key per computer, gives you all of the above plus you can drive G-430's, G-1000's, and does controls and frame-rate tests for certification, and gives a "Flight-Training use" startup message rather than a "Home-Use" startup message. This is what you will use if you want to build an FAA-Certifiable sim or drive a real Garmin 430 or Garmin 1000.
Level-4: Requires 1 level-4 USB key per computer, gives you all of the above, plus lets you run the Eclipse AVIO system in EFIS-App... only available from Excel Aviation.
Click here for USB key drivers for both Macintosh and Windows...
you will run these installers to make X-Plane listen to these USB keys!
Volume Discounts:
Order 10 keys and get 10% off
Order 20 keys and get 15% off
Order 30 keys and get 20% off
Order 40 keys and get 25% off
Order 50 keys and get 30% off
email
austin@x-plane.com to place volume orders
