Today I went to Coventry Airport, to Flight Simulators Midlands, where I was going to fly a Boeing 747. Well, okay, not a real one, but a real simulator! We (me, the assistants Di and Paul, Paul's dad Ray and brother Richard) got a deal from Travelzoo offering each of us a half hour flight for £59 instead of £175. When we booked they tried (gently) to talk us into an extra half an hour but we declined. As it was it was going to take more than two hours for all of us. They also sent us a Powerpoint briefing to watch, which to seasoned pilots like Paul and I, was simple to follow. (To be fair, it was pretty simple for the others to follow too and they've only had trial flying lessons!)
We arrived at about 10.30am and had a few minutes to wait before our briefing, so we headed upstairs to The Hangar Bar for a drink. It was a sunny day and the bar overlooks the airfield so we sat outside.
At 10.45am we met with the trainer who set us up for our briefing. They'd emailed us a shorter version, but this basically explained how a plane flies, turns and so on. Just to give us some context. This ended with some cool shots of planes landing at the old Hong Kong Airport, which was a bit hair raising, to say the least.
After the briefing we discussed with one of the instructors what we wanted to do. Richard, Di and I wanted some hands on flying which we'd do over Salzburg, Paul would fly into that Hong Kong Airport and Ray would fly from Birmingham to Heathrow. We were all able to sit inside the simulator shed (really, it's a shed!) to watch the others fly. Richard went first. The instructor set it up, then he took off from Salzburg. The instructor turned on the auto-pilot and Richard fed direction and altitude instructions into it as he flew between some mountains.
Next, he set it to 5,000 feet and the plane climbed at full throttle. Once at cruising altitude, the autopilot went off and Richard got to fly the 747.
Soon it was time to land so the autopilot went back on as Richard altered descent rate to intercept the localiser (to find the centre line of the runway) and then the glide scope signal to approach at the right angle (3°). Richard made it to the runway, though his landing was a bit swervy on the runway.
My turn next. I had to fly with Di as I couldn't reach the rudder pedals - which you only use on the ground in a passenger jet apparently - the swept wing technology balances the turns so the passengers don't fall out of their seats! We did the same route as Richard, flying through the mountains before some real paws-on flying. I was surprised how unresponsive the 747 was. You really had to push forward or pull back hard, plus there was a lag between your input and it responding. The instructor likened it to "driving" the Titanic. In a little box in a hangar you forget how big the 747 is. It's a monster!
We did okay - Di and I make a pretty good team! Then it was our turn to land. There's a lot to think about - altitude, glide slope angle, speed and a lot was done for us. If I'm honest, our safe landing on the runway wasn't totally under our control, but we made it with the instructor's assistance. I reckon now, if they give both pilots food poisoning with the airplane food, I can get us down safely. (Though I might be a tad optimistic!)
Next, it was Paul's turn. He has a Private Pilot's Licence and I think he would have liked more hands on than he got. He had a lot of explanation about where they were going from a second instructor who came in to fly into the old Hong Kong airport. I think Paul got more technical set up stuff but mostly the instructor flew, with Paul's hands also on the steering column. He did fly some of the approach but really the instructor landed it. It is a tricky airport I guess, but it would've been nice for Paul to get more hands on, I thought.
Last up was Ray, with the original instructor. He flew us from Birmingham Airport to London Heathrow in about ten to fifteen minutes. Real time, which was pretty cool. According to the Instructor, it only takes twenty minutes to fly from Birmingham to Southampton - amazing!
I have to admit, I was fading a bit by this time (it had been a long time without snacks!) Also, because you are mostly watching, and you really can't see outside very well. The upgraded hour for each of us would have been a bit dull for five of us, I think. But if there's just one or two of you, I'd say it's definitely worth paying the extra. The deal made it great value, but if you can get your flight time extended to an hour you should jump at it. It's amazing. I loved it, hence the five Teds. Even with the shorter time, we all had a fabulous time and have now (very nearly) flown a Boeing 747! Who'd have thought we'd ever do that?
If you want moving pictures of this awesome event, here's an almost ten-minute movie for you! It's okay, you have fast forward and stop if you get bored! As if. Not much of me though, as I can't take movies that I'm in and my assistants are hopeless.
After our flights we went back upstairs for lunch on Ray. The guys had ham, egg and chips but Di had veggie options! She settled on a jacket potato with cheese. With a pear cider to drink, lunch at The Hangar Bar was also a hit.
As it was only about 3pm, we still had time to hit the Midland Air Museum next door, but that's another story...
