Editorials

2015-01-12

My First Time: Behind the Controls of a 737

It should come as no surprise that I am absolutely fascinated by all aspects of aviation. As a plane spotter, I routinely spend an entire day at the airport taking pictures. As an aviation writer and editor, I am constantly reading, researching and writing in my free time. I have taken a particular interest in topics such as air traffic control and accident investigation. There just aren’t that many things left for me to experience for the first time.

"Captain" Rabinowitz tries his hand at flying through IMC.

“Captain” Rabinowitz tries his hand at flying through IMC.

One of the few aviation things that I had never experienced, however, was to actually get behind the controls and fly a plane. The high cost of entry into the ranks of those who call themselves pilots was enough to keep me away. Then there was the time commitment needed, something that is in short supply with my (often unpredictable) work schedule and a five month old at home. Of course my own personal ‘weight and balance’ issues aren’t helping things either.

I had first heard about a simulator that was offering experiences to the public in the Boston, MA area about a year ago. It wasn’t open to the public yet, but friend and occasional NYCAviation contributor Jason Rabinowitz and I made plans to visit once it did. It opened this past spring, but before we could make plans to visit, life got in the way. In this case, ‘life’ was the birth of my son, two months early. Any notion of a day trip to Boston was out of the question for the next several months.

One thing you should never witness in a real airplane: The view out the front 'loading'.

One thing you should never witness in a real airplane: The view out the front ‘loading’.

By August, I was beginning to think about it again. When I was tipped off that the company offering the simulator had a Groupon deal going on, I made a quick phone call and we both jumped on it. Following a few scheduling snafus, we were both booked to fly on October 26th. After a not-so-short drive from the New York City area, we were there and ready to fly. Upon arrival, we were presented with our ‘boarding pass” and sat down with our “First Officer” Jim for a brief introduction, during which we chose which two airports each of us would fly from during our one hour at the controls. It was suggested that we choose one airport off the easy list and one that was more challenging. While Jim went to set up the simulator, we settled in to watch a short introductory video.

Next up, it was time to board the simulator. We climbed up the (very shortened) air stairs into a mockup of a 737 entryway and turned left! The simulator’s flight deck was fairly spacious, with a pair of “jump seats” with ample legroom set behind the captain’s and first officer’s seat. We had drawn straws beforehand, and I would get to observe first and fly second. I was okay with this, as I hoped to be able to learn from my compatriot’s mistakes. Unfortunately for me, he didn’t make many. After a brief photo op, it was time to fly!

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All strapped in and ready for takeoff from JFK’s Runway 31L. Photo by Jason Rabinowitz.

Following my chance at observing the simulator being flown, it was finally time for me to strap myself in to the captain’s seat and go flying. For my easy airport, I had chosen none other than New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport. Specifically, I would be taking off from the Bay Runway (31L). While I had hoped that my flight would include the graceful banking turns of the Canarsie or Breezy Point climbs, that was a little too advanced for a beginner like me. Straight out it was! Of course in an advanced simulator like we were in, traffic for the surrounding airports is simulated as well. It should come as no surprise that the TCAS went off when we got too close to a LaGuardia arrival as we busted that airport’s airspace.

We made a quick lap around the pattern at 3000 feet, before lining up with runway 31L for a touch-and-go. The airport was free of any other traffic, and I made a relatively stable approach all the way in. I settled the wheels onto the pavement, hit the throttles and back up we went! This time I climbed to 2,000 feet and lo and behold, there was other traffic in the pattern! We again worked our way out over the ocean and I was cleared to follow another aircraft in. The landing was not too bad (for my second landing ever), and after a little bit of fumbling, I was pulling back on the reverse thrust levers. I taxied off the runway and we all enjoyed the wide variety of other aircraft that were parked at the terminals, including one with a special livery.

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The view from the (simulated) flight deck.

Next up, it was time for my challenging flight, and it was a tough choice. The options for this one were quite varied. There was beautiful St. Maarten with its low approach over the beach and departure straight toward a mountain. Another choice was Vienna, Austria, which requires flying between mountains for several miles. However, for the avgeek in me, there was just one true choice: the now-defunct Kai Tak airport in Hong Kong with its famous arrival to runway 13.

Jim set the simulator up so that I would get to fly more than just pattern work here. Our departure was from the new Hong Kong International Airport, which is located across the city from the old airport. By doing this I was able to fully experience the classic approach into Kai Tak. We aimed for a mountain, found the famous checkerboard billboard, and made our low, curving approach over the buildings of Kowloon City. It was a rush to say the least, and I could only imagine what it would have been like to plane spot there back in the day. I lined up with the runway and absolutely greased a touch-and-go. I advanced the throttles once more, climbed out of there and we engaged the autopilot. Jim had an adventure planned for me.

On a long base leg for Kai Tak.

On a long base leg for Kai Tak.

“So your choice is a thunderstorm at night or foggy with low ceilings at sunset” Now things were getting interesting! Jason had flown the nighttime thunderstorm, which was very challenging. I wanted to try something different. Fog it was. The simulator reset, and suddenly, we were flying through the soup. I was instructed to descend, hoping that we’d break out of the clouds before we met the ground. Sure enough, just as it was time to start our turn we broke out of the clouds over a very foggy Kowloon City.

This was difficult, but I managed to pull it together enough to elicit a somewhat surprised “you’re doing really well” from the right seat. My ego went to my head just long enough to let us drop precariously close to the imaginary citizens of Hong Kong. “PULL UP!” I tugged back on the control yoke, barely managing to level out in time to make a semi-successful landing. I coasted down the runway, somewhat relieved to have pulled that landing off without bending the virtual airplane. I was instructed to exit the runway and then to not miss the turn onto the virtual taxiway in the dark. After all, there was water just past that turn.

I emerged from the simulator all smiles. What a fantastic experience! And I left with an even greater level of appreciation for the job that airline pilots do.

Ben Granucci, Standards Editor, is an aviation enthusiast and plane spotter based in New York City. Growing up in Connecticut, he has had his eyes toward the sky for as long as he can remember. He can be reached on Twitter at @BLGranucci or through his blog at Landing-Lights.com.



About the Author

Ben Granucci
Ben Granucci, Senior Editor, is an aviation enthusiast and plane spotter based in New York City. Growing up in Connecticut, he has had his eyes toward the sky for as long as he can remember. He can be reached at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter.




 
 

 

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  • Daveabbey

    Thanks for the description of the sim experience flying the 737. Looked like fun.

    • Benjamin Granucci

      It really was!

  • Dave

    Sounds like a good time. I know I love the rare chance I get to sit in the pilot seat in our C-130 sims.

  • Richard B.

    I’ve been looking for a full simulator for some time, as this would make a great gift. Where was this simulator and is it yet open to the public? Great Story, by the way, keep up the great work on all your stories.