Last summer, my children rode a flight simulator. Basically, they strap you into a box in front of a screen and shake it upside down. It is supposed to feel more like flying an airplane than a Disney ride. They also had a camera on the people inside the simulator so that those waiting outside can see what was going on inside the cockpit. When my daughter had the controls, the plane was level, missed the trees, and landed smoothly. When my son took over the controls, the box spun with barrel rolls, shot straight up, and then dove nose first into a spectacular crash landing.

All fun and games but not to a real pilot. They spend hours in that little box not for amusement but to train themselves and to prepare for worst-case scenarios so that when lightning does hit or an engine goes out or a…