Insurance transition training that gets you home

It depends entirely on the wording of your policy, so read it closely or have your agent read it to you. Many requirements name a make and model, such as dual instruction in a Cirrus SR22, which can often be met in a similar airplane of that model. Others specify the insured aircraft itself, meaning the hours have to be flown in the airplane listed on the policy. Some differentiate between variants, so time in a normally aspirated version might not satisfy a requirement written for a turbocharged one. Simulator or flight training device time rarely counts unless the policy says so explicitly. The safest assumption is that the underwriter will accept exactly what the wording says and nothing more. Flying the training in your own airplane, often during its delivery, avoids the question entirely, and it has a practical benefit too: you learn the actual panel, equipment and quirks of the airplane you will fly afterward.

The number of hours in your policy is the starting point, and the calendar time depends on how those hours get flown. A requirement of a few hours can often be finished in two or three local sessions, since instruction in a new airplane is usually most effective in blocks rather than one long day. Larger requirements take longer, and weather, instructor availability and your own schedule all shape the pace. Flying the hours during a delivery compresses the calendar, because a cross-country trip home can log a substantial share of the requirement over a day or two while the airplane travels. Some policies also require a set number of takeoffs and landings, which fit naturally into fuel stops and pattern work at the end of the trip. Plan the training before the airplane arrives, so you are not left with an airplane on your ramp that you are not yet insured to fly alone.