My March Soaring Magazine finally arrived so I got the chance to read Scott Manley's "Condor Corner" on distance learning with a flight simulator.

I know Scott. Unlike 99% of CFI-G's, he has an advanced degree in secondary education. He's a PROFESSIONAL EDUCATOR while the rest of us are mere instructors. He knows whereof he speaks.

There is nothing in his column to raise alarm. In fact there is much to admire. He has developed a way to train pilots which address almost every drawback of conventional flight training. It's particularly effective in the long winter months of northern climes.

Nor is it unusual. Every other branch of aviation is using simulators extensively in primary training. Soaring is the last to adopt them.

Yes, we need better hardware and software. At the top of the list would be inexpensive projection domes and full-featured cockpits with force feedback controls. The training software needs instant reset to a pre-selected point in the sky so a maneuver can be quickly repeated. But most of all, we need a commitment to use simulators in primary training.