There has been optimism that virtual reality (VR) may be a suitable medium for training procedures in aviation. However, the mechanisms by which immersion may facilitate or hinder the training of flightcrew-relevant procedures using VR remain underexplored. One important concept is that of episodic memory (EM). Through representational and non-representational mechanisms of cognition, the EM system may have a central role in grounding and framing VR training experiences, thereby facilitating pilots’ acquisition and use of knowledge, skills, and attitudes (KSAs) to support flight operations. The current review studies frameworks and concepts related to the cognitive processes underpinning the learning of procedures in VR simulations. Specifically, it focuses on the role, function, and value of the EM system as an explanatory mechanism for a range of pertinent theories and findings, and bridging gaps among constructs and perspectives between and among scales of cognition. We posit here that interventions before, during, and after VR experiences that target the mechanisms of EM may have downstream benefits on spatial cognition, tacit knowledge, and decision-making during flight deck operations. Furthermore, whereas extant training frameworks do not delineate EM or prescribe its measurement, we provide a framework of methods and techniques for assessing the unique contribution of the EM system to learners’ memory of training events. Consideration of the role, function, and value of the EM system provides a more precise understanding of how constructs such as immersion may facilitate or hinder the training of procedures using VR simulations.