Lack of New Single Engine Complex Aircraft
 

With most singles today being built with only a constant speed prop and flaps, they are missing the last needed item to be complex - retractable landing gear. There was talk of changing the definition a couple of years ago for singles but that seems to have stopped. They make a box that can be installed to simulate the lights and landing gear lever. Even more advanced boxes make the knock sound of the gear coming up and down. Anyone operating one of these boxes with approval to count it as complex in a single for commercial training?

The talk was not about changing the definition but rather a deletion of the retract time requirement for the commercial - I believe the term was , "advanced IFR instruction" (to apply to glass cockpits) as a substitution. And if memory serves it was proposed as a ten hour requirement. As you know it was rejected. Until the FAA approves any such simulated box it's a training tool only and you've got to resort to the ole' 172RG or Arrow.

Arrow is still in production last I knew.

Yeah, and the vast majority of my students trained in 1970's vintage eqipment anyway so retracts of that era are par for the course. :)

Seems also a lot of career oriented flight schools are doing the initial commercial in a multi and doing the SE-add on, negating the need for a complex single.

THat what we are geared towards now so we can get read of our Arrow. Initial multi in a Duchess and then if you want, add on single in our 20 or 40.