I am in the process of completing my UK IR(R) and have had an extended period with my primary instructor being away. Mike was one of my PPL instructors and I knew he was running simulator training sessions so contacted him in order to "keep things current" and brush up on procedures and some knowledge gaps. The TBM simulator setup is excellent, with a full Garmin G1000 avionics suite and physical controls. Whilst I was not there to learn about the TBM specifically, it was interesting to get a different experience of a more complex aircraft too. Mike took me through a full range of IFR procedures across the board, in the North East Airspace, including VOR tracking, DME Arcs, ILS approach (Newcastle) and the notoriously difficult NDB approach (Teesside). I was struggling with the concept of "push the head, pull the tail" but Mike's clear instructions and help with understanding this were invaluable and I felt a lot more confident at the end of our 2 hour session. Overall I gained a ton of valuable experience, new knowledge and "brush up action" at much less cost than actually trying to do this in a real aircraft. I can only but highly recommend anyone who is considering IR(R), or polishing up their skills/renewing or going on to full IR to get some decent simulator time in with Mike, it's well worth it. He is an approachable, knowledgeable and expert instructor. Do not be put off by the modernity of the avionics suite, the same principles apply and it's nice to get a feel for the newer stuff when you are mainly only used to the old steam gauges. It's actually really easy to transition between the two once you get the knack. Whilst these hours cannot be officially counted towards your time, the knowledge and experienced attained is invaluable and WILL SAVE you money in the long run from not having to try understand complex concepts in the middle of a flight. Being a simulator,, it's also great to be able to pause at any point and discuss a concept and understand it before continuing. Lastly, the G1000 avionics suite is the primary equipment installed in mid-level commercial aircraft from smaller single turboprop upwards. If you need training and experience on the single most popular system and de facto standard nowadays, Mike is your man. 

JulianG: ATPL Student Feb 2024