2BeAPilot.co.uk was invited along by iPILOT to try out one of their 737 flight simulators at London’s Westfield shopping mall, we were delighted to take them up on their offer and so we sent Mark along to find out more.

IPilot Introduction

IPilot have two fully functioning flight simulators based on the 737-800NG located at the Westfield Shopping Centre in Shephards Bush, London. These state of the art simulators include all of the of the standard cockpit features including overhead panel, throttle quadrant, Comms & Nav equipment. Dual FMCs, MCP, EICAS, PFDs, Dual Autopilots, and more.

The only noticeable difference between iPILOT's simulators and those used by the airlines is that IPilot simulato'sr do not move on hydrualic jacks to simulate aircraft movement.. Having said that IPilot's simulators do provide wrap around screen projection which does provide a realistic sensation of movement and at a far cheaper price!

IPilot are able to simulate all types of scenarios including varying weather conditions, fuel loads, position, time of day as well as ATC radio calls.

Every iPILOT experience is undertaken by the instruction of a real life qualified pilot to ensure that you receive the highest quality of tuition and realism in your IPilot experience. Each session can also be recorded so you can review your flying or even to show your friends.

iPILOT is also available for all age ranges (from 6 years) and for any level of experience. It is used by newcommers to get a feel of what it is like to fly a large commerical jet to fully qualified pilots looking to polish up their skills before an upcommong simulator assesement.

My IPilot Experience

I turned up at iPILOT to be warmly greeted by their staff members. After a quick welcome chat we had 15 minutes to spare which is when we popped into the Cafe next door for a quick drink and chat about IPilot and pilot training in general. I have to say that I was really impressed by the energy and enthusiasm which the guys at iPILOT had.

After our chat it was time to pop into the simulator to start our experience. After making myself comfortable and getting a feel of the cockpit it was time to get started.

We started off at London Heathrow on runway 27R, the target was to fly a straight out departure, climbing and then maintaining 5000ft. Eagerly waiting with one hand on the yoke and the other on the throttle we were set to go. I started to push on the throttle up to the 12 o’clock position, “waiting for engine stabalisation” and then full throttle forward.

As we started hurtling down the runway I was trying to keep the aircraft on the centre line using the rudder pedals, quite an unusual feeling for those of us use to steering a car with the wheel and not the pedals! Soon we were up to takeoff speed and as my instructor called “VR” it was time to pull back on the yoke up to a 20 degree climb.

We climbed to 5000ft and I managed to quite successfully hold altitude. We then proceeded into some general handling exercises. This started with some turns, the difficulty is trying to maintain your altitude whilst at a 30 degree bank angle. Then you have to pick the perfect moment to roll out such that your wings will become level just as you hit the target headway.

It then got more complicated when we combined some turns with descents. Here you have to focus on pitch and roll simultaneously, constantly scanning the instruments and the horizon to measure your progress. I cannot say that I was perfect but I managed to find the right altitudes and headings without veering off too much.

One of the first aspects you realise is how heavy the flight yoke is to move around, it is not like using a joystick on your home PC, you really have to put some effort in. Although things are much easier if you remember to use those trim tabs which I kept forgetting!

Before I knew it all those turns and descents set by my instructor was actually to get us into a good approach position for a touch and go at Gatwick. I looked up and there were the runways, I was told to go for a visual approach and that’s what I did. With some assistance I managed to touch down, although a little past the threshold. As soon as we touched down it was back on the power and up and away.

Once airbourne again and following some more turns/descents we were back into a position to return to Heathrow. Although this time it was to be a full ILS approach, as I tried to capture the localizer my instructor did something mean and reduced visibility to near zero. This was to stop me from “cheating” by looking at the runway. Now I had nothing but instruments to bring us in. This made it far harder to maintain the required glide slope and heading, As we got down to 100 feet we failed to find the runway and were forced to perform a go around.

On our second attempt my instructor kindly made it sunny and clear again and this time with the aid of visual I managed to do a better job with the localizer and performed a reasonable landing back at Heathrow runway 09R.

With a little bit more time left we decided to go off to Hong Kong and attempt a landing at the old Hong Kong Kai Tak Airport. This was the most challenging part of the experience as anyone who is familiar with Kai Tak will be aware of.

Kai Tak has an infamous reputation for its final approach. Kai Tak is surrounded by moutains and skyscrapers which makes it impossible to fly a straight in approach. Instead you have to approach near perpendicular to the runway and perform that famous 47 degree "Hong Kong" turn at the last minute just before touchdown. It's because of this that the Kai Tak landing is one of most popular requests IPilot receive.

We started at Hong Kong’s new airport and performed a straight out takeoff to capture the localizer for Kai Tak. Once we caught the localizer we flew towards the infamous checker board, which marks the place just before you need to perform that "Hong Kong" turn which leaves you with only a few hundred feet to line up at the runway.

As we approached the checker board I soon realised why my instructor bought us here as it turned out he used to go to school right under the flight path in which he pointed out, in fact this was the inspiration which made him become a pilot. Anyway, after my instructor had finished pointing out his old school we were at approaching the checker board and it was time to perform a hard right turn to line up with the runway. With a little aid we touched down in the heart of Hong Kong, reverse thrusters engaged and we safely came to a stop which marked the end of a truly enjoyable experience!

Overall I was impressed by the realism of the simulators, being in a shopping mall I was not 100% sure on what I would find, but I can honestly say that the quality of the simulators, instruction and realism were all top notch. All the staff were fully qualified pilots all with at least a frozen ATPL and were a very welcoming and helpful.

Whilst not a cheap experience by any means IPilot really does give you a feel for what it is like to fly a large commercial jet. It is great for kids as a treat, adults who aspire to be a pilot and would like to get a feel for the profession, as well as qualified pilots wishing to get in some practice before a job interview.

IPilot does represent a great alternative to the professional simulators used by the airlines to train their pilots. A session in these typically cost between £250-300 per hour whereas iPILOT charge around £150. So at £100-150 cheaper IPilot represents good value for money and is only marginally off the realism/professionalism of these so called professional simulators!

I would definitely recommend iPILOT for anyone who would like to experience flying a commercial airliner. It can be very useful in deciding whether you really want to be an airline pilot and you can even discover if you actually have the aptitude to become a professional pilot. The instructors are very good in their feedback and they can surely help you in this.