Simulator Adventures Review and VATSIM UK Discount
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Entry posted by William Shaw in Member Services ·
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We have teamed up with Simulator Adventures to provide an exciting discount in their immersive A320 motion simulator, based at Salford Quays, Manchester.
They have kindly offered VATSIM UK Home Members 20% off their experience, so if you are a Home Member and you wish to take advantage of this discount, please submit a ticket to Member Services requesting a discount code. A unique, one-time code will be issued to you, and you will be able to use this on their website.
Below is a review from @Craig Stewart who has kindly taken the time to describe his experience and work with the business to attain this discount for us.
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I joined VATSIM UK in 2021, at first only participating on our network as a controller, however, I was recently able to upgrade my PC and take to our virtual skies in MSFS. As I fell in love with the wide variety of high-fidelity aircraft add-ons, I found myself longing for more! Like many of us on the Network, a full motion simulator ranks high among my wish list, however, aside from winning the lottery, this is naturally out of reach.
After some time pondering on the idea, I finally made a spontaneous decision to try a full motion A320 simulator, and I got in touch with Simulator Adventures based at Salford Quays, Manchester. Even though their website showed no availability for the 90 minute booking I wanted, after a quick phone call with their team, they were able to slot me and my friend in at a suitable date and time.
Upon our arrival, we were immediately greeted with smiles, and a pleasant, welcoming atmosphere. Whilst relaxing in the aviation themed waiting room, we were offered complimentary drinks, included as standard with our 90 minute experience. Alan - an ex commercial pilot and co-owner of Simulator Adventures - kindly offered to show us the simulator in motion, from the outside. This was a truly fascinating sight which few ever get the chance to see; it was shocking to see how big the simulator was in person, as well as just how much the platform is able to move (I later experienced this first hand, after a typical -400fpm landing!).
With an existing interest in flight simming, I had planned where I wanted to fly, in order to make the most of the 90 minutes I had paid for. After discussing the options with Alan, we settled on the following plan:
Munich to Innsbruck, performing the circling approach via Axams Church
Malaga to Gibraltar
Circuits at Kai TakOnce the previous client finished their session, we entered into the simulator. I was immediately taken aback by the wow factor of the sim, everything I could have possibly expected was present - the dimly lit ambience of the cockpit gave, from a flight simmer’s perspective, an authentic, true-to-life feel. With Alan being a former commercial airline pilot, he has a wealth of knowledge to provide as little or as much assistance as required. In our case, we were simply told to set up the aircraft for pushback, and we soon found ourselves preparing for departure.
We began taxiing across the tarmac, and I recall feeling every bump and joint of the taxiway. This immediately struck me as completely alien, yet it added a truly magical extra dimension to the immersion of my flight. In no time at all, we lined up on the runway, and I pushed the thrust levers forward to TOGA. The engines roared, and the cockpit gently rumbled underneath me as we gathered speed down the runway. I remember struggling with the rudder pedals as we tried to maintain centreline - having no rudder pedals in my own simulator setup caught me slightly off guard, however I was surprised at how intuitive their use soon became. V1 was called, and I gingerly pulled back on the sidestick, unsure of how different the controls would feel compared to my home setup. Although unfamiliar, the aircraft was a dream to hand fly; my friend and I became addicted, electing to leave the autopilot off until we had to start preparing for our arrival into Innsbruck. For the sake of time and personal pride I won’t discuss the approach in great detail, however I will say this: watch out for the power lines across the ravine!
I don’t intend to write about every second of my experience, as I don’t want to take any surprise, or impact from any of the experiences, but what I do want to say is, this experience was better than I ever expected, and I am already looking to book my second trip. I would certainly recommend anybody to try the guys at Simulator Adventures! Thanks for all your time and help in making my experience a dream come true.
My time at Simulator Adventures was a brilliant experience, I could continue writing more however words would just not do it justice. The staff were top-notch, and clearly very passionate about aviation and flight simulation. Alan and I discussed VATSIM over the course of my time at the sim and, when he learned I was a member, he kindly extended a discount to all VATSIM UK Home Members.
Edited by William Shaw
- Ben Wright and Anthony Skelly
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