• Fixed base generic syntetic training device
• Fully enclosed cockpit
• Aimed at FNPTII/FAA level 4 / MCC Trainer / MPL Level 2
• Full functioning avioncs and computers - FMC's; autopilots and auto-throttles
• 180° external visuals that accurately represent the terrain with some to photo realistically enhanced
• 24,000 airports to fly in and out
• Countless flight tracksand routes can be flown anywhere in the world
• The ability to fly aroind any landmark from London Bridge to the Sydney Opera House
• Seats up to three people (as well as the simulator instructor) on the flight deck
• New Zealand Civil Aviation Authorithy approval for pilot training and instrument flight training (up to 50% of Instrument Rating

Disclaimer

While the Flight Experience™ simulator closely resembles a Boeing 737 aircraft it is not, and should not be referred to as one. The Boeing Aircraft Company of Seattle owns the trade marks “Boeing” and “737″. This simulator is not endorsed by Boeing.

About Flight Simulators

Flight simulator development dates back to the early 1900s. In fact, it goes almost hand in hand with the history of aviation.

It was evident from the early days that pilots needed to be trained in something other than real aircraft. It was too dangerous for new pilots and potentially expensive, if things went wrong.

Today flight simulators are an absolute necessity for pilot training. Every airline operator is obliged to use simulators in some way or form with most either owning, or sharing a facility where pilots can log thousands of hours “in the air” without ever leaving the ground. They practice procedures (including emergency procedures and Drills of Vital Action), aircraft handling, routines, and familiarise themselves with the sectors they’ll fly. Emergency procedures occupy much of their time. Despite emergency training most airline captains go through a 30-year career without ever experiencing an aircraft failure or malfunction - thanks to the reliability of modern aircraft.

There are various levels of simulator. Some pilots will recall the “Paper Tiger” as their introduction to a new aircraft type. This was hardly a simulator; more a two-dimensional schematic of a flight deck and controls. Smaller airlines, without simulators would use it as a stepping stone to real aircraft. Most airlines have computer based training where pilots use touch screens mounted on a frame symbolic of the cockpit environment. These give pilots the location of various instruments and controls but do not provide the look and feel of a real aircraft.

At the top end of the range of simulators is the Zero Flight Time Full Motion Flight Simulator. This simulator is so sophisticated that pilots need no time in the real aircraft, after simulator training, before making their first flight in the real aircraft with fare paying passengers.

These highly specified, six-axis simulators move to replicate everything from little bumps on the runway to severe turbulence in a tropical storm. Pilots get the feel of the aircraft, and its handling, making the transition to the real plane easy. Some pilots even say flying the real aircraft is easier than the simulator!