Increasingly, offering student pilots access to a reliable and affordable aviation training device (ATD) is becoming mission-critical for flight training providers. Students and prospective students value flight simulator time across their training for various certificates and ratings, creating expectations for all flight training providers and advantages for those who can deliver on them. 87% of active students who participated in the 2025 State of Flight Training Survey said they plan to use a flight simulator in 2025.
Acquisition is only part of the equation. Keeping a simulator running affordably and effectively is critical for modern flight training operations. Fortunately, with the right manufacturer, accomplishing this goal requires much less work than managing a fleet of aircraft.
At Redbird, we focus on a few critical areas to help our customers keep their training technology running in tip-top shape.
The first one is fairly straightforward. A training device for a professional flight training operation should require little upkeep beyond occasional software and hardware updates and addressing normal wear and tear over time. Redbird training devices require infrequent software maintenance and even less hardware maintenance. Resultantly, under a typical update and upgrade cycle, Redbird training devices are rarely down for maintenance, maximizing the scheduling options of students and the revenue opportunities of training providers.
Each Redbird training device includes a one-year warranty covering hardware and software. After the first year, customers can choose a service plan that best suits their needs, whether software-only or comprehensive coverage. Here are those options at a glance.
A Class B Service Agreement is essentially a continuation of the initial warranty, covering both hardware and software. It includes live support from our in-house technicians via phone, email, and online chat.
Under a Class B agreement, our team will replace malfunctioning hardware at no charge (excluding shipping outside the continental United States). For software issues, technicians can connect remotely to our training devices (provided they are connected to the internet) to diagnose and resolve squawks.
The Class B agreement also includes automatic software updates as soon as they are released (again, the training device must be connected to the internet).
The Class C Service Agreement covers all software, including updates and troubleshooting. Under this service plan, technicians will assist in diagnosing both software and hardware issues, but hardware replacements are not covered, meaning sim owners replace malfunctioning parts at the current quoted component cost plus shipping.
As with Class B, technicians can diagnose issues via email, phone, or logging into the simulator directly.
For both the Class B and Class C service agreements, customers can opt to pay hourly maintenance costs similar to a maintenance reserve for a fleet of aircraft. These agreements are based on the Hobbs hours used in the training device each month. Since the time is billed after the training sessions for the month have already occurred, training providers likely already have collected simulator rental fees from their customers, making the service agreement predictable and easy to account for and plan for as a percentage of simulator revenue.
There is a limit to what customers can be billed for hourly usage. As of April 2025, the maximum billing hours are 1,400 Hobbs hours. If time in the training device exceeds that number, the sim owner is not billed for the additional hours. Flat monthly and yearly billing options also are available to customers.
Some customers opt only to pay for support when they need it, whether that means purchasing a Class C agreement and paying for hardware fixes ad-hoc or forgoing a service agreement altogether. Regardless, customers always have options for making necessary or desired changes or fixes.
Our online help center is the most cost-effective place to start. There, customers will find answers and solutions to many of the most common questions, squawks, and bugs.
If a customer needs to work through an issue with a technician, they can receive phone support and remote diagnosis at a $100 per incident rate (as of April 2025). On-site support—both for preventative maintenance and in-person troubleshooting and fixing—is available at standard labor and trip rates.
Without a service agreement, we handle software and database updates as custom service orders for each request, and malfunctioning hardware can be replaced at the current quoted component cost plus shipping.
Beyond service agreements, we also handle important certification services for all owners. For example, a letter of authorization (LOA) is the most important document associated with a certified training device. It is evidence that the Federal Aviation Administration qualified and approved the device at the expected certification level, meaning students and pilots can use it to log time without complication.
Each LOA expires after five years. We apply for a renewal before that expiration date and keep current versions in our online help center, readily available to customers or requesting agencies.
Investing in an ATD can help flight training providers win new clients, retain them, and improve their bottom line. However, like most technology, these training devices are tools requiring ongoing attention for customers to maximize their return on investment.
One part of that equation is implementing the training device effectively into syllabi and teaching flight instructors how to utilize it effectively. The other part is ensuring the device is expertly engineered and eligible for ongoing support and certification offered by the manufacturer.
With an understanding and effective implementation of both parts, a certified training device can add significant value to a flight training program, increasing client satisfaction while decreasing overall operating costs.