PlaneEnglish: ARSim

This app is pretty great. The idea of getting to practice your radio calls instead of reading them out of a book is a really neat concept and an effective approach to training. I don’t like that you have to keep paying in order to have access. It’s a temporary subscription where you have a limited amount of time for access. Other software you pay and it’s yours. If you ever get rusty over time it’s no problem. You can come back and access it anytime you want. But with this app you gotta stay current on your subscription. The only other criticism I might have is that maybe some of the vocabulary in the Basics section could use more information. Like for certain words, it might be nice to have a definition, description or some examples to better understand what that thing is. Like a student pilot just getting started might have no idea what a METAR is or what Rime ice is or what the definition of wind shear is. This app will sometimes have you practicing the pronunciation of words/phrases but don’t bother giving any information to help you learn what it means. Other than that, it’s a pretty good training tool.

Look this app is a great tool I wish I had while learning private/instrument coms. The problem is, some things you do not read back to atc in flight are required to read back here which could give the impression to new pilots that you have to read back every piece of detail to atc. An example of this is “hold short 28L landing traffic” you generally don’t say “landing traffic” back to ATC. Another example is when contacting departure, generally you don’t say “contact PHX departure” you would say “ over to departure, good day” Overall this app is great for new pilots which is why I rated it 4/5 stars, but you should not just rely on the app for your atc communications. Once you become more familiar with talking on the radio with atc, you will begin to use your own phraseology to shorten what you have to say without compromising the message. But in general good app!

This app is so so so helpful with practicing your radio calls. I used to get so nervous about messing up or saying something silly to tower or on CTAF. It provides great practice for keeping all the numbers and instructions straight in your head without the fear of embarrassment/ judgment from ATC or other pilots! It’s great for when your bored laying in bed, preparing for a check-ride, or you can elevate your chair flying with this extra level of immersion. Either way, you won’t regret it. It is a little pricey for what it is.. but then again what isn’t in aviation? It’s a monthly payment but I think it’s worth every penny, since you’re able to practice radio calls anywhere, anytime and not while you’re paying over $175/hr for your flight training! Plus you can just use it until you get comfortable and proficient! Definitely recommend it to anyone at any level of flight training!