Definition
Flight training time logged in an Advanced Aviation Training Device (AATD) — a ground-based simulator approved by the FAA under a Letter of Authorization. AATD time can be credited toward specific pilot certificates and ratings within limits set by 14 CFR Part 61, and must be logged separately from actual flight time and from time in other simulator categories.
Plain English
Time spent training in an FAA-approved high-end ground simulator, which can count toward certain pilot certificates and ratings up to limits set by the regulations. It is recorded in the logbook as its own category, not as flight time.
Context Anchor
Seen in logbook, training-record, and instructor-signoff discussions, especially when deciding what time can be credited toward certificates, ratings, or recent experience.
Derivation
"Advanced" signals that this device meets a higher FAA qualification standard than a Basic Aviation Training Device (BATD), allowing more types of training credit. Knowing the tier helps the pilot understand why some simulator hours count for more than others.
Why Pilots Care
It lets pilots meet minimum experience requirements at lower cost and with greater scheduling flexibility than using an actual aircraft.
Intuition Check
Do not assume “advanced” means any high-quality simulator or home setup. Here it means a specific FAA-approved kind of aviation training device, and the logged time is not the same as time flown in an aircraft.
Example Sentence 1
She logged two hours of advanced aviation training device time during her instrument rating training to practice approaches before flying them in the airplane.
Example Sentence 2
To meet the recent-experience requirement, the pilot used advanced aviation training device time instead of renting an aircraft.