Alexb2000
En-Route
I just flew the flight experience 737NG sim in Paris.
I had the time so I figured why not, it's not likely I'll ever fly the real thing. So I signed up for 90 minutes.
They start you with a briefing that tells you about what to expect, select the kinds of operations you want to do, etc. The SIM is not full motion but you really don't miss it too much. The SIM instructors are not always type rated, some are just commercial pilots.
They let anyone with the money fly it so they have many non-pilots flying them. Basically they want you to use auto throttles and autopilot as much as possible. I didn't want to do that and it freaked the instructor out a little. That may be a European pilot training practice I don't know. Anyway, I got a chuckle out of some of the things the SIM instructor did like introduce fuel at about 3% N1, but I guess that's the beauty of the SIM.
I flew from Neice to Geneva and then to Innsbruck. I wanted the weather bad and so he set it up with blowing snow, crosswind, and vis. at mins. for the approach into Geneva. I was a little fast on my approach, so I decided to go missed. The instructor thought he could land it, so he grabbed the controls after I had fire walled it and started the climb, and he.. Crashed (I think the point was to show off, but I'm not sure)
.
The flight to Innsbruck was straight forward. Weather was set marginal VFR. He wanted me to make a tight 45 degree bank course reversal in the valley. I wanted to climb above the mountains and the turn once we hit the MEA, but I'm used to playing for keeps. Anyway it worked and the landing was better.
Anyway it was fun, but once again I came away feeling the quality of a SIM experience is tied to the quality of the instructor. I wouldn't do it again, but by the same token I'm glad I did it once.
http://www.flightexperience.com/
I had the time so I figured why not, it's not likely I'll ever fly the real thing. So I signed up for 90 minutes.
They start you with a briefing that tells you about what to expect, select the kinds of operations you want to do, etc. The SIM is not full motion but you really don't miss it too much. The SIM instructors are not always type rated, some are just commercial pilots.
They let anyone with the money fly it so they have many non-pilots flying them. Basically they want you to use auto throttles and autopilot as much as possible. I didn't want to do that and it freaked the instructor out a little. That may be a European pilot training practice I don't know. Anyway, I got a chuckle out of some of the things the SIM instructor did like introduce fuel at about 3% N1, but I guess that's the beauty of the SIM.
I flew from Neice to Geneva and then to Innsbruck. I wanted the weather bad and so he set it up with blowing snow, crosswind, and vis. at mins. for the approach into Geneva. I was a little fast on my approach, so I decided to go missed. The instructor thought he could land it, so he grabbed the controls after I had fire walled it and started the climb, and he.. Crashed (I think the point was to show off, but I'm not sure)
.The flight to Innsbruck was straight forward. Weather was set marginal VFR. He wanted me to make a tight 45 degree bank course reversal in the valley. I wanted to climb above the mountains and the turn once we hit the MEA, but I'm used to playing for keeps. Anyway it worked and the landing was better.
Anyway it was fun, but once again I came away feeling the quality of a SIM experience is tied to the quality of the instructor. I wouldn't do it again, but by the same token I'm glad I did it once.
http://www.flightexperience.com/