A Day in the Life of a Boeing 737 Level D Simulator Student

by | Jun 15, 2026 | ATP-CTP school in Las Vegas

Pilot at the controls in a Boeing 737 cockpit during Level D simulator training

A Day in the Life of a Boeing 737 Level D Simulator Student

You arrive at the facility before sunrise, badge in hand, with a binder full of SOPs and a healthy respect for what the next several hours will demand. In a few minutes, you will strap into a $20 million machine that pitches, rolls, and buffets with enough fidelity to satisfy the FAA’s most exacting standards. Welcome to Boeing 737 Level D simulator training at Las Vegas Flight Academy — and welcome to the day that will define the next chapter of your flying career.

Whether you are pursuing an initial 737 type rating, upgrading from first officer to captain, or completing recurrent training to stay current with your airline, the structure of your sim day follows a proven rhythm. Understanding that rhythm before you arrive helps you manage your energy, absorb more information, and perform at the level your certificate demands. Here is exactly what to expect.

Ready to book your Boeing 737 simulator training in Las Vegas? Explore our B737 type rating programs or call Ron Kelly directly at 818-489-1738 to discuss your training schedule.

Before You Step Into the Simulator: The Pre-Brief

Every high-quality sim session starts long before the motion platform activates. At Las Vegas Flight Academy, students typically arrive 45 to 60 minutes before their scheduled sim time for a structured pre-brief with their instructor.

The pre-brief is not a formality. Your instructor — a former airline or military pilot with an average of 20,000 hours of total flight time — will walk you through the lesson objectives for the day, the specific maneuvers or procedures on the training schedule, any relevant FAA regulations or airline standard operating procedures, and the evaluation criteria that will be used during the session.

For initial type rating students, an early pre-brief might focus on normal procedures: engine start, taxi, takeoff, initial climb, and cruise at altitude. For recurrent students, the instructor may present an abnormal scenario package — a hydraulic failure, an engine fire on departure, or a rejected takeoff at V1 — and ask how you plan to handle each one before you sit in the seat.

This is your chance to ask questions in a low-pressure environment. Use it. The pre-brief is where good training happens.

Inside the Level D Full Flight Simulator

Walking up the boarding stairs of a Level D full flight simulator is a unique experience, even for experienced pilots. The Boeing 737-800 simulators at Las Vegas Flight Academy are housed in a 40,000 square foot purpose-built facility in Henderson, Nevada, and they represent the highest level of simulator fidelity approved by the FAA.

What makes a Level D simulator different from lower-certification devices? Several things that matter enormously to a pilot trying to build real skill:

  • Six degrees of freedom motion platform: The sim moves in pitch, roll, yaw, heave, surge, and sway. When the gear rumbles on rotation or the turbulence kicks in at FL350, you feel it.
  • High-resolution visual system: LVFA’s simulators feature a 200-degree by 40-degree field of view — a panoramic window into a photorealistic world that includes weather, airport environments, and night operations.
  • Full systems replication: Every switch, circuit breaker, and display in the sim corresponds to the real aircraft. If you reach for the fuel control switch, you are reaching for the right fuel control switch.
  • Scenario repeatability: Your instructor can pause, reposition, and re-run any segment of the flight instantly. If you mis-handle a V1 cut on the first attempt, you get it again — until the technique is right.

The 737-800 configuration at LVFA covers the full Boeing Next Generation family through differences training, meaning students who complete initial type rating can add the 737-300 through 737-800 series to their certificate efficiently. This matters for pilots heading to airlines that operate mixed NG fleets.

The First Two Hours: Normal Procedures and Systems Mastery

For students early in their type rating program, the first sim sessions concentrate on normal operations. The goal is building procedural automaticity — running checklists accurately, managing the autopilot and flight management system fluidly, and communicating with your training partner (the other seat is occupied by another student or your instructor acting as the other pilot) with the precision of a professional crew.

A typical early session might include:

  • Pre-flight flow and checklist verification
  • Cold-and-dark start: APU start, engine start sequence, hydraulic and electrical systems check
  • FMS programming for a departure airport, routing, and destination
  • Taxi to the runway, line-up checks, and normal takeoff
  • Climb to cruise altitude with LNAV/VNAV or selected modes
  • En route operations, including an altitude change and a mid-route divert scenario
  • ILS approach to minimums, landing, and rollout

It sounds like a lot — and it is. But the structured lesson design at Las Vegas Flight Academy ensures that each session builds on the last. Students in the B737 initial type rating program receive a complete ground school curriculum before entering the simulator, so the first time you reach for the thrust levers you already understand what the FADEC is doing and why.

Midpoint: Abnormal Procedures and Emergency Scenarios

Once the normal procedures foundation is established, simulator training shifts toward the situations that make the Level D environment irreplaceable. These are the scenarios you cannot practice in a real airplane without risk — and the reason the FAA certifies Level D simulators for full type rating authority with zero actual flight time.

Midday sessions at LVFA often focus on:

  • Rejected takeoff (RTO) at V1: The instructor commands an engine failure at exactly V1. Your job is to recognize, decide, and stop the aircraft on the remaining runway. The motion platform makes the asymmetric thrust and braking deceleration viscerally real.
  • Engine failure after V1: The same failure, one second later — now you fly it out. Single-engine climb, flap retraction, ATC communication, and engine-out return to the airport, all within the constraints of airline operating procedures.
  • Hydraulic system failures: The 737 has three hydraulic systems. Losing one changes what you can do and how you do it. These scenarios force students to think through the QRH step by step, not from memory alone.
  • UPRT (Upset Prevention and Recovery Training): FAA regulations now require UPRT in ATP-level training. LVFA’s Level D simulators are qualified for full stall and upset recovery maneuvers — steep spirals, nose-high recoveries, approach-to-stall at altitude. This is demanding, important work that most simulator training facilities cannot deliver at Level D fidelity.

The instructor controls all of this from a two-screen instructor station adjacent to the simulator. Failures can be introduced silently, cued by a caution light, or announced by the EICAS. The training scenario can be paused and replayed at any point. Nothing is wasted.

Looking to understand the cost and scope of what goes into a Boeing 737 type rating program? Our guide to 737 type rating cost factors breaks down exactly what drives the price — and why Level D simulator access is the biggest variable.

The Afternoon Block: Instrument Approaches and Weather Operations

By the time the afternoon session begins, most students have found their rhythm in the simulator. The motion feels natural, the scan is developing, and the checklist cadence has started to feel automatic rather than effortful. This is when the training shifts to operational realism.

Afternoon sessions typically involve approach and landing work in instrument meteorological conditions (IMC). At LVFA, the visual system can present any weather scenario: low-visibility Category I, II, and III ILS approaches; circling approaches in marginal conditions; approaches into airports with non-standard terrain or unusual procedures.

This is also where crew coordination skills get tested. The 737 is a two-pilot airplane, and airline operations depend on precise role separation between the pilot flying (PF) and the pilot monitoring (PM). Students rotate between seats, which means every student both flies the approaches and monitors them — a critical skill for pilots heading into airline first officer roles.

Common approach scenarios in this block include:

  • ILS to Category I minimums (200 RVR / 2,400 RVR) with a go-around when the runway environment is not in sight at DH
  • Localizer/DME approach at an airport without a glideslope, requiring careful VNAV management
  • RNAV/GPS approach with vertical guidance (LPV) to 200-foot DH
  • Circling approach to a different runway when the straight-in approach is not available
  • Windshear encounter on approach: recognition, escape maneuver, and go-around

The circling approach, in particular, is an area where many students need extra repetitions. LVFA’s programs specifically include circling approach training and — for pilots who need to remove a circling approach limitation from their certificate — a dedicated removal-of-circling-limitation program that can be completed in the 737 Level D simulator.

Post-Sim: The Debrief That Makes the Difference

When the simulator powers down and the motion platform settles, the most important 30 to 45 minutes of your training day begin: the debrief.

At Las Vegas Flight Academy, instructors use a structured debrief format built on the principles of threat and error management (TEM) and crew resource management (CRM). They do not simply tell you what you did wrong. They walk through the session chronologically, ask you to self-assess each major event, review the objective data (the sim computer logs everything), and build a specific improvement plan for the next session.

The debrief covers:

  • Maneuver performance against FAA tolerances (airspeed, altitude, heading, vertical rate)
  • Procedure accuracy: were the checklists called at the right time with the right responses?
  • Crew coordination: were callouts clear, concise, and on time?
  • Decision-making: were the right priorities established during abnormal situations?
  • Areas to review before the next ground study session

Students who take the debrief seriously — who write detailed notes and spend the evening reviewing the areas identified for improvement — consistently outperform students who treat the debrief as a formality. The Level D simulator is an extraordinarily efficient learning environment, but only if you close the loop between what you experienced in the sim and what you study on the ground.

What Makes Las Vegas Flight Academy Different

Las Vegas Flight Academy is one of fewer than 40 FAA Part 142 certified training centers in the United States — and one of the only Level D Boeing 737 type rating providers on the West Coast. For pilots based in California, Nevada, Arizona, Oregon, Washington, Utah, Idaho, New Mexico, or Hawaii, this means training-center-quality 737 simulation without a cross-country trip.

The facility operates two Boeing 737-800 Level D simulators (FAA ID numbers 1168 and 2104), both qualified for initial type ratings, recurrent training, differences training, UPRT, and full-stall maneuvers. The second simulator was added in 2024, expanding capacity and reducing scheduling conflicts for working pilots who need specific training dates.

Instructor quality sets the pace at LVFA. The faculty are former airline and military pilots with average total flight times exceeding 20,000 hours. These are not CFIs who recently transitioned to sim instruction — they are pilots who have flown the 737 in revenue operations, know the quirks of the airplane in real-world conditions, and can teach to the standard that airlines actually expect.

The academy also offers scheduling flexibility that larger training organizations cannot match. Because LVFA operates a single, focused facility rather than a multi-site corporate structure, training dates are stable, personal consultation is available directly with the chief instructor, and program customization — adding a differences module, scheduling a makeup session, adjusting recurrent intervals — can be arranged with a phone call rather than a ticket number.

If you are evaluating West Coast simulator training options, read our comparison of what FAA Part 142 certification actually means for your training quality and why it matters when you are selecting a type rating provider.

Frequently Asked Questions About 737 Level D Simulator Training

How many simulator hours are required for a Boeing 737 type rating?

The FAA requires a minimum of 14.5 flight training hours for a 737 type rating under a Part 142 approved training program, though the actual hours scheduled at LVFA depend on your starting currency and specific training needs. All required hours are conducted in the Level D full flight simulator — no actual aircraft time is required.

Can I complete a 737 type rating without a job offer from an airline?

Yes. Many pilots pursue an initial 737 type rating independently to strengthen their resume and accelerate airline hiring. Having a 737 type rating before applying to carriers that operate the aircraft demonstrates initiative and reduces the airline’s training cost, which can give you a competitive edge in a tight hiring cycle.

What is the difference between a 737-300 type rating and a 737-800 type rating?

The FAA issues a single “Boeing 737” type rating that covers the entire NG family. If you complete training on the 737-800, you hold a 737 type rating. Differences training (for example, 737-300 to 737-800) is required when transitioning between specific variants for operational purposes, but the underlying certificate is the same.

How do I know if I am ready for type rating training?

Most candidates for a 737 type rating hold an ATP or restricted ATP certificate, are current on instrument and multi-engine flying, and have reviewed the Boeing 737 FCOM and quick reference handbook before their first sim session. LVFA provides pre-course study materials and can discuss your readiness directly during the enrollment consultation. Call Ron Kelly at 818-489-1738 for an honest assessment.

What does recurrent training involve for current 737 pilots?

Recurrent training at LVFA includes a proficiency check covering normal and abnormal procedures, emergency drills, instrument approaches, and any newly required maneuvers (such as updated UPRT requirements). The specific content follows your airline’s approved training program or FAA Part 61 recency requirements, depending on your situation.

Your Next Step Toward the Left Seat

A day in a Boeing 737 Level D simulator is challenging, demanding, and — when you nail the V1 cut or grease a Category I ILS in zero-zero conditions — genuinely exhilarating. It is the closest thing to flying the actual airplane that the FAA permits, and it is the environment in which serious airline careers are built.

Las Vegas Flight Academy has trained pilots for initial type ratings, recurrent proficiency checks, upgrade training, and everything in between from its Henderson, Nevada facility. The team is small enough to offer personal attention and experienced enough to prepare you for the real-world demands of airline operations.

Seats fill quickly, especially for pilots with specific training window requirements. Contact Las Vegas Flight Academy today to reserve your simulator dates and take the next step in your Boeing 737 career.

Explore Boeing 737 Type Rating Programs at LVFA | Call Ron Kelly: 818-489-1738