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Monday, August 4, 2008

Fly A Sim at DFW Airport gives the public a chance to climb into the cockpit

by Amy Seslowsky

Photo by Amy Seslowsky

Charley Shepard (right) explains procedure to the pilot-to-be.

DALLAS — Ever dreamed of being a pilot? Or maybe you’re just a thrill-seeker. Thanks to Carrollton-based company Fly A Sim, the cockpit is no longer off limits. Fly A Sim is one of the few organizations in the nation that provides the general public with the opportunity to fly an actual jet simulator.

The experience starts with a drive to the Flight Safety International Learning Center, a world class aviation facility, located at DFW Airport. After signing in and meeting your flight instructor, you’re led to the preflight briefing room, where you spend the next hour learning fundamental information about take-off and landing procedures. “Don’t worry about remembering all of it in an hour,” said Charley Shepard, founder of Fly A Sim, “I’ll be right in there with you.”

Photo by Amy Seslowsky

Simulators are available for the Gulfstream II jet (pictured), the Gulfstream III and the Falcon 20/20-5. A modified version of the Gulfstream II is used by NASA to practice shuttle approaches.

Shepard has over thirty years of aviation experience working as a flight instructor and pilot for Pan American World Airways. Currently, he is a flight instructor for Southwest Airlines. “That’s my day job. [Fly A Sim] is my passion,” he said.

Fly A Sim has access to three out of the sixteen jet flight simulators actually used to train pilots. “The Fly A Sim event is not an amusement ride or passive experience for you,” states the official website, “Our full flight simulator offers your senses the realistic sound, motion and visuals of flying.” The jet simulators rest on six legs powered by hydraulics. Inside is an exact replica of the jet’s cockpit, and outside is a screen displaying realistic terrain and weather.

Prices range from $299 for a shared experience with another customer to $699 for a full hour of individual piloting. Fly A Sim also provides team-building events for local corporations and has donated its services to charity auctions for organizations such as Habitat for Humanity. “We get husbands bringing their wives, fathers bringing their sons or daughters, companies bringing their staff. There’s a lot of variety,” Shepard said.

Photo by Amy Seslowsky

As pilot for a day, Harvey Seslowsky asserts his control over the left side of the cockpit.

During the flight, you practice taking off and landing at different locations. Depending on your progress, the flight instructor slowly increases the degree of difficulty in terms of visibility and approach patterns. If you forget a step, the flight instructor is there with knowledge and a laser pointer to show you exactly what lever to pull or button to press. Crashing is possible, but most people get the hang of it after one mishap.

Even in this age of technology and hyperrealistic video games, it’s easy to forget that you were never actually six thousand feet above ground level. When your flight is over, you’re given time to recover. Then, after a brief photo-op, you’re presented with a certificate of completion, your flight pattern chart and your very own Fly A Sim hat.

Though Fly A Sim might seem as if it caters to a niche customer base, the company has had over one thousand customers since forming five years ago. In fact, “We’re thinking about expanding,” said Shepard.

Staff
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Anonymous

jtmbls, says:

Oh great! Why not just name the course Hijacking 101?

Anonymous

1 year, 4 months ago
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DC, says:

I'll bet for $700 you could probably get to actually go somewhere without some old man lasering you in the eyeballs.

Anonymous

1 year, 4 months ago
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chasbeme, says:

jtmbls & DC, instead of showing off your immaturity and ignorance, why don't you actually learn about the topic before imposing on the pegasus community with dimwitted childish insults. Ask a nearby adult for guidance.

Anonymous

1 year, 3 months ago
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Collin Gouldin, says:

thanks mom!!

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1 year, 3 months ago
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DC, says:

If we can find some that aren't just old cranks that can't punctuate, we'll get right on it.

Anonymous

1 year, 3 months ago
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Scott Doyle, says:

More importantly, chasbeme, would you mind educating all of us from your high horse of wisdom? Is there that much more to learn about the topic than is reported here and/or assumed?

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1 year, 3 months ago
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Jason Rice, says:

Actually, these simulators are pretty stunning. I'm not 100% positive the model pictured, but I'm pretty sure I worked on one. The optics are good enough to fool you even if the graphics may or may not be.

These are honkin' pieces of machinery that can throw your butt against the wall and break an arm if you're not careful. So yeah - turbulence like you'd get in a Texas thunderstorm.... can do.

Granted the graphics are not as sharp as are available on some newer models, but the optics are amazing. Enough so that if you spend real time in the sim you will forget what the real versions of some of the models look like. If the model they use is a Rediffusion/Hughes WIDE (looks like it, but I'm kinda rusty) -- whoobaby $700 is a deal for a real foamer (ancient slang for plane enthusiast).

Ok, I'm an old crank and my punctuation slips... but truly, until you've seen what a full-up sim can do, NOBODY should be able to blame you for some serious skepticism. I'd think it was BS too, except for several hundred hours in the darned things.

Even without a motion base slamming a whole room around at half a G I've panicked genuine flight hardened pilots with a bad approach. They're not familiar with Pause and Reset buttons in that real world they live in.

This kind of event isn't for most folks. $700 is steep to see if you'd like it. But that's not really their market. It's a dang expensive toy for people that appreciate dang expensive toys.

Chas - really - you can't blame the kids for wrinklin' their noses. With a copy of FSX on their desktop they have good reason to doubt --- Till you've seen these optics and felt the whole dang room throw you around. Dang! It sounds like malarkey.

But guys - it's cool.