Who of us have never tried to play a simulation game? Everyone, or almost everyone, tried one of these pastimes: cars, motorcycles and, why not, airplanes!
There are infinite kinds of these games on the market. This multitude, which is often also free of charge and can be downloaded on your PC, is really enthusiastic, fun and capable of giving, for some time, a nice sensation of being a Formula One pilot, a first category motorcyclist or a Captain of an airplane in rout to some far destination.
But the situation becomes truly realistic when instead of playing it on your PC at the desk, or sitting comfortably on your sofa, you enter the real simulation cabin, because here the game is not the game anymore. The virtual reality of the simulation cabin is completely comparable to the real situation; it makes you forget about the fiction and allows you to live an experience which, if it is occasional, remains unique. If instead you do it on a daily basis it becomes a mean of training.
The flight simulators are incredible, completely computerized machines, which are capable of reproducing reliably any possible and verifiable situation during a segment of the flight, starting from the airport of the departure and the arrival, its runways, the visibility from the cockpit and from the cabin, the situations of routine and in particular the extraordinary ones: for instance, an engine fire, a mechanical malfunction, a bad weather and bad visibility conditions… Not only all this permits the pilots to learn and to keep in mind the procedures, but also to acquire the right cognition that serves to manage anxiety and emotions, in case they have to deal with the real dangerous situation.
But it is not enough to enter a random simulation cabin, because not all the airplanes are the same and not all commands are at the same place. The pilots must have a specific qualification for each type of airplane; this way there are specific qualifications and licenses for Boeing 737, for Airbus 320, the A321 aircraft, for the Dornier or Embraer 90 and so on. Likewise, there are specific flight simulators for each of these aircrafts, that serves to train young pilots or to refresh the knowledge of the already formed officials.
In December 2017, the Milan Malpensa Airport inaugurated a new marvellous Boeing 737-800 flight simulator of the newest generation from Rockwell Collins, that was installed inside the Ansett centre between Terminal 1 and 2.
It is the first step for the construction of a per excellence polo, that aims to bring together, within the next few years, four more simulators of different types of aircrafts for pilots training. Besides the already mentioned Boeing 737-800, the Boeing 737NG, which is the biggest amongst the B737 group, the Airbus 320 neo, the last one from the A320 group, which is particularly appreciated for its highly economical fuel consumption on the middle-range flights and lastly the Avro Rj, a well-known four-engine British aircraft of small dimensions. But the real attraction and the most awaited simulator is the one of Viking CL-415 airplane, because it is one of a kind that regards the Canadair!
It is the real breakthrough in the world of training for these important types of airplane that are related to the rescue, considering that an impressive number of accidents occur during training for these aircrafts; the trainings that until now, were done during the real flights.
It is a real luck for THAT! to be located in the proximities of the Milano Malpensa Airport!
However, the Milan Malpensa Airport is not the only one to have a flight simulator, even though the Ansett structure is certainly the most innovative one, that can make others envious. Also there are other flight simulators available in the area and one of these is in Volandia, the Flight Museum located near the airport that has its simulator accessible to the public. This way, anyone can try this experience, even without having a pilot’s certification.There are four different positions that reproduce the cabin of an airplane, the jets cockpit station, precisely those of MB339, and a cabin of an AW319 helicopter. It is possible to use the simulators with the help of volunteers, who at request can explain the basics with the help of on-board flight instruments. It is also possible to have a step by step preparation course for the real flight, that leads the “virtual pilot” to the threshold of the professional flight simulator of the Air Vergiate Flight School (also available at the Museum), exactly the one of the Airbus A 320 and A 321, with the possibility of training with specialized and qualified staff. Instead, for those who are afraid of flying, there are courses that serve to overcome this fear.
There are also flight simulators in different Italian regions as well as in the rest of Europe and each big city and big airport has its training centre, that is used by different Airline Companies. Our friend Francesco Cuttica, the Ryan air pilot, had had his training mainly in the training centres based in Amsterdam and in Stansted (UK), but there are centres located in Barcelona, in Paris, etc.
As you can see there all kinds of simulators and we from That Aviation Italia can only encourage you to get close to the world of aviation which is our greatest passion. The passion that empowers our work and pushes us to do it at the very best.
THAT!: Passion for flights.
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