Do I share My Experience With Others?
No – all simulator sessions are 1 to 1, just you, your friends or family and one of our highly experienced commercial pilot instructors!
Do I Pay Extra For Spectators Or Friends?
Absolutely not, some companies do charge for this but not here at Virtual Aerospace, if you wish you can even share your time at the controls with your friends or family! We have an extra observers seat in the cockpit (Jump Seat) and a mock-up cabin (see photos above) everybody will feel like they were part of the experience!
How Much Time Do I Get At The Controls?
Most people are surprised to find out that in a typical 60-minute session that they will be at the controls for at least 58 minutes of the flight! That includes the first takeoffs and landings, while the instructor is there to give advise and set up the buttons and switches and occasionally demonstrate a manoeuvre, you will be doing all the flying throughout your session!
Do They Move?
There are two types of flight simulator, full motion (we have access to those as well) and Fixed Base, this experience is for the fixed base, does that mean its boring and doesn’t move? No Way, anybody that has sat inside a train, static at a station and then thought they were moving when the train next to them pulls away have experienced the visual illusion we use in the simulators. However, we go further using vibration devices and audiovisual cuing to fool you into thinking your moving. It’s not unusual for people to ask at the end of the session “what motion platform we use” the answer is we dont, it’s all an illusion! – your senses are simply fooled into thinking you’re moving!
Do I Get To Choose What Airport I Fly From?
Absolutely – We have a 24,000 airport database and the software accurately recreates the whole planet. So you can pretty much choose wherever you want, of course we have some favourite destinations like the old Hong Kong Kai Tak, Innsbruck and Madeira but we also have every single airport in the world within our database apart from the odd farm strip!
What Happens In the Session?
Whether you want to practice, takeoffs and landings, try your hand at engine failures, fires or hundreds of other emergencies or simply test your hand-eye control by flying into some of the world’s most challenging airports it’s your experience and you can do whatever you want! Some people want to fly from gate to gate and A to B like a real airline pilot, the sky truly is the limit!
One thing we NEVER forget is that it’s your experience and not your instructors! You will remain at the controls throughout the session, taxi, take off, general handling and landings, your instructor will offer advice, but the flying part is all down to you. Very rarely will your instructor touch the controls unless they are demonstrating a particular technique.