I'm currently in sims in St. Louis. The sims are so backed up that my sim sessions have been encroaching on the maintenance window (2-6AM). I got out of the sim between 2:30-3:00AM for the first four sims. This morning I walked out of the building at 3:45AM and when we stopped about 25 minutes prior the sim next to us was still moving. The sim shortage is real and will be the limiting factor in training for the foreseeable future.

Which brings me to point out...

Most people in the program seem to be lacking in either MCDU (FMS) programming skills or knowledge of flows and profiles (callouts). A few people in my class clearly did not study and had no business being anywhere near an EFPT, let alone a sim, but somehow they muddled through EFPT to get to the sims. Rather than point fingers I'll just say that if you are weak in the EFPTs you will drown in the sims as everything is accelerated.

The instructors were forced to decouple at least two crews in my class and send the more proficient people home so the less proficient people could get their act together. Unfortunately, these slackers are taking up more sim sessions / slots that could otherwise be put to good use.

You'll hear this during indoc and systems classes from the various sim instructors that will stop by, but I'll repeat it anyway: stay late every night in systems with the MCDU / systems trainers until you can program the box in 15 minutes or less, and know your flows and profiles cold before EFPT.

Learning all of this stuff was an understandably tall order for my class as we sailed right through (i.e. we had basically no delays between indoc, systems and EFPTs) but for those that are coming in now, being given an ipad with Ethos and sent home for more than 2 weeks there is NO EXCUSE not to know this stuff cold before EFPT, let alone sims. Do yourself and everyone else who uses the E170 sims in St Louis a favor -- STUDY your ass off and finish the program on schedule.