A few weeks ago I had the pleasure to be invited to test a flight simulator in the Paris area at Flight-Sensations Paris. Flight Sensations has several simulators in France and it is the one in Paris that we will talk about today because it has a particularity that makes all its charm: it is the only simulator on cylinders accessible to the general public in France.
The only simulator on cylinders accessible to the general public in France
The “simulated” aircraft is a Boeing 737-800 NG, in other words, we benefit from one of the latest versions of the best-selling aircraft of the Seattle-based manufacturer. But what will hold the attention it is the fact that it is a simulator in movement, settled on jacks. We’ll talk about this later, but it makes all the difference compared to a static simulator with a very realistic reproduction of the real sensations felt in a cockpit.
This simulator is the result of the work of an enthusiast, Dominique Hanne, pilot and engineer who spent 4 months building this unique device from his imagination. And the result is that the device is certified to prepare pilots for airline selection.
Enthusiasts, pilots, airlines…. a multi-purpose simulator
Different audiences take turns at the controls of this Boeing 737-800.
– Professional pilots to prepare for airline selections.
– Companies that send their employees thereas a gift, for a team building course or for a stress management course. CRM (Crew Relationship Management), the organizational model used in a cockpit, is an excellent way to learn how to transmit information and manage priorities under stress.
– People who are afraid of flying. Flight Sensations is indeed a partner of Xavier Tytelman’s fear of flying courses, whose reputation within the Avgeek community is well known. (validated by a friend who went from aero phobic to compulsive traveler…). And it is Dominique Hanne himself who plays the role of instructor during these courses. It is at Xavier’s initiative that we have the chance to test this simulator.
– Enthusiasts like us are delighted to take in hand such a device in “leisure” mode.
A real immersion in the airport environment
As soon as you arrive, you are immediately in the mood. The simulator is indeed located on the Cergy-Pontoise airfield, a former major airport in the middle of the last century and now dedicated to business aviation. The simulator is located in one of the hangars which puts us directly in the atmosphere.
Today it is Dominique Hanne who takes care of us personally. After a welcome coffee, the briefing begins.
The briefing room reproduces the Boeing 737’s dashboard in order to familiarize us with the main principles of flight and with the controls.
Dominique Hanne explains in a very pedagogical way the “physics of flight”, what makes an airplane fly, glide, the way it maneuvers. Then we review the flight controls, their use, the autopilot, the fundamentals of piloting and flight management.
Impressive clarity and pedagogy.
It is then time to go to the simulator. Each of the three guests will have the chance to do a complete lap (take-off, flight, landing).
An amazing realism
I am the first to take the controls. The realism is amazing.
Takeoff from Insbruck in the middle of the mountains…unfortunately I couldn’t make a video of my own flight but I’ll make up for it on my “colleagues”.
Check-list take-off, full throttle, V1, VR, Rotation, Positive climb rate, gears up…. we are on the way.
After having taken altitude by passing between the mountains we pierce finally the cloudy layer.
Nothing to do, as I said, with a static simulator. We feel the wind, the turbulences, it vibrates, it creaks, we feel the effects of the turns, the inclination during the climbing.
There are 24,000 airports to choose from. And since we are among enthusiasts, Dominique will not spare us anything. Weather conditions, night flight, engine failure, stall simulation… everything is covered.
The attention is monopolized by the management of the instruments, the entry and the follow-up of the flight data. I confirm that we hardly have the opportunity nor the need to look outside, all the maneuvers are done with eyes on the instruments.
But as a video is better than all the texts…a takeoff from Nice with a simulated engine failure and stall. I confirm the educational value for people who are afraid of flying: there is nothing like understanding how to fly without engines and learning how to recover from a stall in the simplest way possible. It takes unfounded fears away.
Naturally, it seems too short and at the end we only dream of returning. The quality of the staff, as pedagogic as sympathetic, only adds to an already unique and outstanding product on the French market. After a few scares and laughs, it is unfortunately time to go back to the ground and leave our place to the next ones.
But it is sure that we will return there and if the simulator experience tempts you, it is undeniably worth going a few kilometers outside of Paris to treat yourself with this unique experience.
Thanks again to the whole team for the experience and the welcome.
