This is the single most misunderstood topic in home simulation, so let us be clear up front: time flown in Microsoft Flight Simulator or X-Plane on your home PC does not count toward any FAA certificate or rating. Only FAA-approved training devices, flown with an authorized instructor, can be logged toward aeronautical experience, and even then mostly toward the instrument rating and only within the limits set in the regulations. Here is how the distinction works and how to stay on the right side of it.
Part of our Flight Simulators guide. Always confirm the current rules with your instructor and the FARs before counting any device time.
The key distinction: consumer sim vs approved device
A consumer flight simulator is entertainment software. It is wonderful for practice, but the FAA does not recognize it as a training device, so none of that time is loggable toward a certificate or rating. What the FAA does recognize are formally approved devices:
- BATD (Basic Aviation Training Device) and AATD (Advanced Aviation Training Device): ground-based devices that hold an FAA letter of authorization. Products such as Redbird desktop trainers and certain other approved ATDs fall in this category.
- FFS and FTD: full flight simulators and flight training devices, the higher-end equipment typically found at larger schools and airlines.
The difference is not graphics or realism. It is whether that specific device has an FAA approval. A home PC running the same software does not have one, so it does not count, no matter how good your setup is.
What approved-device time can count toward
When you fly an approved ATD with an authorized instructor who logs it properly, a limited amount of that time can count, mostly toward the instrument rating, and within the limits in the regulations. Approved devices can also be used for instrument currency and proficiency in defined ways. The exact amounts depend on the device category, the rating, and the current rules, which is why we are deliberately not quoting specific hour caps here. Treat the device logbook entry, signed by your instructor, as the thing that makes time loggable.
For your private pilot certificate, approved-device time plays a much smaller role, and the bulk of your training will always be in the airplane.
How to log it correctly
- Use an approved device. Confirm it holds a current FAA letter of authorization for the credit you want.
- Fly it with an authorized instructor. The instructor must provide and log the training for it to count.
- Record it properly. Log it in the correct column, note the device, and keep the instructor endorsement.
- Confirm the limits. Check the current FARs and your instructor before assuming any amount counts.
So is the home sim useless for training?
Not at all. It just helps in a different way. It will not add hours to your logbook, but it makes the hours you do fly more productive by building procedures, scan, and navigation habits at home. Think of home practice as preparation and approved-device time as the only sim time that touches your minimums.
Controls for productive home practice
What you'll need
Home flight-sim controls that make practice productive, all from PilotMall.com.
Frequently asked questions
Can I log Microsoft Flight Simulator or X-Plane time toward my license?
No. Consumer sims on a home PC are not FAA-approved training devices, so that time does not count toward any certificate or rating minimum.
What kind of simulator time does count?
Only time on an FAA-approved device such as a BATD, AATD, FTD, or full flight simulator, flown with an authorized instructor who logs it, can count. It applies mostly to the instrument rating and only within the limits in the regulations.
How much approved-device time can I count?
A limited amount, within the limits in the regulations. The exact amount depends on the device category, the rating, and the current rules, so confirm with your instructor and the current FARs rather than relying on a fixed number.
If home sim time does not count, why use a sim at all?
Because it makes your real lessons more productive. Practicing procedures, instrument scan, and navigation at home means you spend less expensive airplane time learning rote tasks, even though the practice itself is not loggable.