Fly a Flight — Local services in England

Had an excellent hour on the Spitfire simulator with Chris. Chris was extremely knowledgeable about the Spitfire and we had a great conversation about the historical elements, even down to the type of incendiary rounds carried, where the guns were harmonised on the simulator (250 to 300 yards - too far out for me lol).

From a simulation point of view. No the graphics are not photo realistic, and views behind and above are not there. However, that said, this absolutely did not detract from the experience. Being in a realistic cockpit with (mostly) working dials and a 180° screen convinces your brain that you are in the air, and it will fill in the gaps.

The flight model seems good. I am not sure if there are different settings of realism, but it felt very real to me. The Spit is an agile 'plane and that really came across. This was very sensitive in elevator as I believe it was in real life. It needs a gentle touch. I found flying it fairly easy, as long as you are ahead of it. Engine torque is well modelled with spades of rudder needed on ground runs. I would expect the flight controls to really stiffen at higher speeds and control surface loading. This foes not appear to be simulated but then Iget this needs to be accessible to all.

The flight controls felt right as did the sound and vibration in the cockpit. I managed a good (single bounce) landing (using side slip to control the speed on approach - to Chris's raised eyebrows I think) and a highly dodgy take off and then a good(ish) take off. Like a real Spit, you can fly it close to a stall in the turn, (though in reality I think sustained G loading would have resulted in blackout). However when it stalls it will spin violently, which is well modelled. Recovery is easy, usual stick forward, opposite rudder, let it settle and don't panic. I recovered from 4 spins. Chased down some bombers and got some good hits in, but unless you are lucky, with 14s of ammo you'll not down one. Embarrassingly I got hit on both goes (shot down by a bomber...pfft!). I knew exactly when I was hit, I heard the rounds ping through the airframe - I am not sure it was actually simulated but I think I felt them too. Such is the 'reality' being hit it immediately made me check oil pressure and both times the gauge confirmed it had dropped through the floor. Both times resulting in a survivable crash landing. I am no pilot, but this felt real. Unlike reality, it was fun and not absolutely terrifying as it must have been for all those young guys, allied or axis. 'Romantic' it was not for them.

This experience absolutely has 5🌟 from me. The only things I think that might improve it are;

The Spit used three engine controls, mixture, prop speed and throttle (boost). We only used the throttle (I did not note if the boost gauge was functional) in a 'conventional sense. I'd like to have flown using prop speed against boost. Maybe there is a 'higher fidelity modelling setting where that is possible - though i get you have to make the simulator accessable to all levels and skills.

I would have loved to have had a visible prop arc. Having an invisible prop was a tad disconcerting.

I feel the guns could be a lot louder with a more realistic .303 rattle. With some added vibration? I would think this would just need a replacement sound file? This really would add to the adrenaline and the 'feeling'.

All in all a fantastic hour. Will be a...

Both I and my buddy Dave visited on Friday 11th July and have to say was an absolutely fantastic visit. This really is a hidden gem! From the time we walked in to the time we left some 2hrs later, we were made to feel so welcomed.

Mark the owner was carrying out some much needed maintenance in the facility, but took time to show us around and tell us about the history of what he had built up. I liked the fact that he took the time to ask about us and our professions and this was clearly passed onto our Instructors Chris and Connor who also chatted to us like we had know each other for years!

When we took to the skies in what I must say was a great arrangement, switching between the two of us in increments. Connor and Chris quite clearly have a passion for what they do and are equally knowledgeable in all things surrounding the flight and history of our Spitfire. Thank you for such an engaging day.

I could literally write loads about our experience with Fly a flight, but I wouldn’t want to ruin your experience!!

Suffice to say…. You SHOULD book and go for a flight. It was amazing, thrilling, informative and a pleasure to spend time with some great people.

We WILL be back when our shifts...

I booked this experience through a Buy-a-Gift Smartbox as I had started to get back into PC flight simulation and thought it might be fun. I wasn't sure what to expect, imagining a glorified a Heath Robinson collection of commercially available flight simulator hardware - this could not have been further from the truth and I was delighted to step into a full-size Boeing 737 cockpit previously used to train commercial pilots.

Captain Mark questioned me on my level experience and I told him that as an Air Cadet I had completed my gliding scholarship many years ago and that I was a PC flight simulation enthusiast and he tailored the level of detail appropriately.

We started with a departure from, circuit of and landing at Nice, followed by similar at the slightly more challenging Gibralra airport, trying not to encroach on Spanish air space. The half-hour allocated 'flew' by in what seemed like a couple of minutes.

A thoroughly enjoyable experience that I would recommend to anyone with an interest in commercial aviation. I plan to return at some point to try the...