737 Simulator experience - wow
Discussion
SWMBO bought me a 737 simulator experience for Christmas and I finally got around to going this week.
It was the full monty with the exception of movement with a company based in West Sussex. ( The Virtual Flight Centre in Coolham), and what an experience it was. I had a 90 minute session booked (not sure of the cost) although I actually had nearly 2 hours of 'flying'.
Started with a briefing to establish my knowledge of how an aircraft flies, controls etc. followed by an introduction in the cockpit of the 737 itself. The Simulator is the first 24 feet of an old Ryan Air aircraft that was in a previous life painted in Jaguar colours.
The cockpit has been fully updated to a glass 737-800 (I understand it's been used in several discovery flight crash programs it's so real) We then started the engines and I taxied to the main runway in Manchester, I was given a brief and off we went.
Once we were airborne I had a play around to get used to the feel of the controls and then had a go at landing (with the instructor handling power). A couple of landings later getting used to ILS etc. and I was on the power as well.
Into St Maarten, Hong Kong both in good and bad weather, bit of autopilot followed into a landing in very bad weather in Manchester, both during the day and at night. More night-time landing and take off's, all very, very good fun.
The fact there was no motion really didn't have a detrimental effect on the experience, with 120 degree projection and surround sound you seem to feel as if you are moving anyway!
I'm not affiliated in any way with company but thought like me there are loads of budding pilots on this forum and if you have some spare cash it's well worth a visit
How did I do? well the instructor was never going to tell me I was s
t! However I hit the centre line 90% of the time, make good controlled landings and he seemed confident that if I could do what I did there, I could get myself out of trouble on my holiday flight back from Spain when the crew die of food poisoning and they need someone to land the plane 
All those years of model aircraft flying clearly paid off
All I need to do know is sell my business and learn to fly, get a job with BA and I'll be as happy as a pig in ......
It was the full monty with the exception of movement with a company based in West Sussex. ( The Virtual Flight Centre in Coolham), and what an experience it was. I had a 90 minute session booked (not sure of the cost) although I actually had nearly 2 hours of 'flying'.
Started with a briefing to establish my knowledge of how an aircraft flies, controls etc. followed by an introduction in the cockpit of the 737 itself. The Simulator is the first 24 feet of an old Ryan Air aircraft that was in a previous life painted in Jaguar colours.
The cockpit has been fully updated to a glass 737-800 (I understand it's been used in several discovery flight crash programs it's so real) We then started the engines and I taxied to the main runway in Manchester, I was given a brief and off we went.
Once we were airborne I had a play around to get used to the feel of the controls and then had a go at landing (with the instructor handling power). A couple of landings later getting used to ILS etc. and I was on the power as well.
Into St Maarten, Hong Kong both in good and bad weather, bit of autopilot followed into a landing in very bad weather in Manchester, both during the day and at night. More night-time landing and take off's, all very, very good fun.
The fact there was no motion really didn't have a detrimental effect on the experience, with 120 degree projection and surround sound you seem to feel as if you are moving anyway!
I'm not affiliated in any way with company but thought like me there are loads of budding pilots on this forum and if you have some spare cash it's well worth a visit
How did I do? well the instructor was never going to tell me I was s
t! However I hit the centre line 90% of the time, make good controlled landings and he seemed confident that if I could do what I did there, I could get myself out of trouble on my holiday flight back from Spain when the crew die of food poisoning and they need someone to land the plane All those years of model aircraft flying clearly paid off
All I need to do know is sell my business and learn to fly, get a job with BA and I'll be as happy as a pig in ......
I used to get into the all moving Britannia sims down at Luton. A few bribery beers and the sim engineers would let us know when they were on Maint with nothing to do.
They are amazing bits of kit! Was also really lucky to get a go in the RAF Merlin and Chinook sims at RAF Benson. The Merlin was incredible! You could feel the movement whilst sitting on the deck of the carrier,
a total mind screw!
They are amazing bits of kit! Was also really lucky to get a go in the RAF Merlin and Chinook sims at RAF Benson. The Merlin was incredible! You could feel the movement whilst sitting on the deck of the carrier,
a total mind screw!
http://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/File:TL3...
That looks very much like what we were shown all those moons ago LOL
That looks very much like what we were shown all those moons ago LOL
mrloudly said:
Remember seeing an early sim (think it was an F4) where a camera moved over a huge "Model Railway" style board which was the projected in the cockpit. Guess the scenarios were pretty limited. May have been at RAF Honnington
but I can't remember that well...
They had that for the Harriers at Wittering, friend of mine worked on it for a while - they used to put models of elephants into the board that appeared enormous when you were "flying" around but I can't remember that well...
Burrow01 said:
mrloudly said:
Remember seeing an early sim (think it was an F4) where a camera moved over a huge "Model Railway" style board which was the projected in the cockpit. Guess the scenarios were pretty limited. May have been at RAF Honnington
but I can't remember that well...
They had that for the Harriers at Wittering, friend of mine worked on it for a while - they used to put models of elephants into the board that appeared enormous when you were "flying" around but I can't remember that well...
civil world of light aviation.
CobolMan said:
Done both a 737 and a F-4 simulator in Harrogate, really good fun (particularly doing a carrier landing in the Phantom).
We had a bit of spare time recently after my 6 monthly sim check on the 747-400 and we had a go at landing it on a carrier deck in Kowloon Bay, Good Fun 
mrloudly said:
Remember seeing an early sim (think it was an F4) where a camera moved over a huge "Model Railway" style board which was the projected in the cockpit.
The original Nimrod sim had a camera tracking over a model but (as far as I can recall) the RAF's F4 sims were 'non-visual'. Burrow01 said:
They had that for the Harriers at Wittering, friend of mine worked on it for a while - they used to put models of elephants into the board that appeared enormous when you were "flying" around
The nasty trick was to put a dead spider on the end of the runway. It would appear huge in the windscreen as you flared on landing!Spoof said:
Twice a year for two days at a time, we get failure after failure thrown at us in these.
Even under those conditions they're bloody good fun.
CAE at Burgess Hill, never thought I'd see a photo of that place on here! Don't want to think about it for another five months too!!Even under those conditions they're bloody good fun.
The Big G said:
Spoof said:
Twice a year for two days at a time, we get failure after failure thrown at us in these.
Even under those conditions they're bloody good fun.
CAE at Burgess Hill, never thought I'd see a photo of that place on here! Don't want to think about it for another five months too!!Even under those conditions they're bloody good fun.
McHaggis said:
CobolMan said:
Done both a 737 and a F-4 simulator in Harrogate, really good fun (particularly doing a carrier landing in the Phantom).
Thanks for this... wife's next birthday sorted... here's the link http://www.realsimulation.co.uk/Gassing Station | Boats, Planes & Trains | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff