"Flight Simulation: The Discipline of Avoiding PDID"

There are many things we can’t live without: air, food, water, and even gravity. Gravity is essential for building strong bones and muscles. Yet defying gravity is something very few animals can do. Birds do it naturally; we do it only with the help of machines and technology. Although gravity is our friend, it is also dangerous and unforgiving. Because of that, flying is inherently risky. To mitigate the danger of PDID (Property Damage Injury, or Death), aviation builds in layers of safety—especially during training and the early stages of learning to fly.

In the United States, the FAA requires a minimum of 40 hours of training before issuing a Private Pilot License (PPL). Fortunately, flight simulation doesn’t require any such prerequisites, since there is no real-world risk of PDID. Even so, treating flight simulation with the same respect as real-world flying dramatically enhances immersion.

Sure, I can start my simulator, jump into an aircraft, and be airborne in minutes—or even seconds. For the first few months, maybe even the first couple of years, that’s how most of us begin. But as my aviation knowledge grew, so did my desire to emulate real-world procedures. If I’m flying a small piston GA aircraft like the C172, I go through pre-flight procedures as if PDID were a real possibility. When I’m flying an airliner from cold and dark, it may take 45 minutes to an hour before I even start taxiing. This isn’t because I can’t fly the aircraft; it’s because I’m building safety margins into my simulation, just like real crews do. And for me, that’s where the true immersion lives.

Of course, learning what makes a procedure safe is itself a discipline. And what good is discipline if I don’t practice it in the simulator? Whether you’re new to flight simulation or a seasoned real-world pilot who enjoys simming at home, taking it seriously—treating it as a way to avoid PDID—is what makes the experience meaningful.