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For me, there is a 900 lb gorrilla reason, and then other reasons.
The gorrilla is that USAIG, my insurance carrier, requires it. Now that we have covered that, if left to my own devices, I would do sim training every 24 months. Reasons:
1.) More realistic engine failure training. Can practice engine failures on takeoff roll, just after liftoff, after gear up. Can do them over and over again, just for rote practice. AND, best of all, they can be a total suprise. My CFI sometimes reaches up and turns off the fuel selector when I am distracted, but he never does it at full power, and never close to the ground. In the sim, I can be doing a go around from a 200 1/2 ILS missed approach and lose an engine.
2.) Can do more realistic IFR training in less time. If you only fly VFR, this is not important.
3.) Can practice identifying and dealing with systems failure that are difficult to do in an airplane. In a sim, your artificial horizon can be made to slowly fail, as it would in real life. Blocking the instrument for partial panel practice is just not the same.
4.) Going someplace else and getting training naturally teaches you new things, as different instructors emphasize different things. Sim courses are usually a bit more structured than training with your buddy the CFI, this can make for a useful experience as well.
That's my list, I am sure there are more reasons. If I was purely a VFR pilot, I might take a couple of hours of sim training once in a while, just for engine cut practice, and to keep my emergency instrument skills current. For an IFR pilot, as I said at the start, I think it is a must every two years, and currently my insurance requires it yearly.
Kevin
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