Anyone actually tried out Flight experience, http://www.flightexperience.com/ ? Chain flight sim and they have opened up store in cities I frequently visit (Gold Coast, Singapore)I looked at some of their videos, looks like they are running some varient of the 737 (probably hooked up with magenta?) with some kai tak, fly-tampa scenery to boot.Its ~ 200 USD for a 60 minute session; do you think its worth it?http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n8ntIV6lUIs&feature=player_embedded

Edited January 21, 201214 yr by OmniAtlas

If you are really good with the 737NGX, then it'll be worth it. If not, you'll be totally confused. $200 for an hour is a lot, but I spent $1000 a few months ago for 2 hours on a full motion simulator (Level D) and the graphics were poor. This is probably FSX based and has so much better graphics. I wishthey would open one in the USA.

Thanks mate, will keep on practising then until I'm fully comfortable. Level D simulator? I take it real world pilots train on that stuff. Does the motion add alot of realism?Cheers.

I've spent a few hours in them. They've very good. It was hard coming back to PC simming after sitting in a cockpit!

If you are really good with the 737NGX, then it'll be worth it. If not, you'll be totally confused.

No you wont, I've been in one of their Sims here in New Zealand, I am pretty familiar with the Classic cockpit, less so the NG, but I was fine, managed the whole cold-n-dark startup and flight without getting confused. The instructors are good at coaching you when you get stuck. Dont hesitate, get in there and have a go, dont worry about being totally up to speed with the NG. I'd also reccomend you go for the 60min option and not anything shorter. The time rocks by before you know it, I think with 30mins you'd feel like you want more.Have fun

Thanks dude !

Does the motion add alot of realism?

In my opinion full motion doesn't add as much as you'd think, I have flown both full-motion and fixed base. I regularly fly the 737NG fixed base sim at Sywell in the UK (uses Prepar3D) and quite often you will swear that it's moving because you're totally isolated from the outside and can only see the graphics so your brain gets tricked into thinking you're climbing/banking/descending. Your confused brain translates that into "feeling" movement. It doesn't sound possible but I promise you it is true. When I flew a full motion sim I would say the only time I really noticed it was on landing and braking, the rest of the time it felt just like a fixed base (to me anyway). I've even heard of people getting hints of motion sickness on a fixed base sim!

Your confused brain translates that into "feeling" movement. It doesn't sound possible but I promise you it is true.

Mmmm... thats pretty interesting Bill, cheers.I am prone to motion sickness anyway but I can vouch for fixed-base sims having that affect too, I recently splashed out on a TrackIR setup and once a week or so get a flash of nausea when I'm looking about in the VC, pretty out there.

I have to agree with Dean - go for it! Do the 60 minute session or you will be leaving before you really get started.

I've been in three 737 Flight Experience simulators. The first one was in Queenstown, New Zealand. The second in Tauranga, New Zealand, and the third in Darling Harbour, Sydney. I did the Queenstown one a few years back. From memory it cost about $300 for two hours. It was worth it and I thoroughly enjoyed it. The cockpit itself was supurb - not much difference, if any, from the real thing. The scenery images outside the window were rap-around and extremely realistic. It was a great experience. I felt at home in that cockpit after spending countless hours flying the PMDG FS2004 NG. I'm going to boast here and say I did perfect take offs and landings in Wellington NZ, and several perfect landings in the old Hong Kong airport. Sadly the Queenstown sim is no longer and I'm not sure where it is now.I tried the Tauranga 737 sim in January 2011. I'm not sure if they call it Flight Experience but it is an identicle simulator. I was very disappointed with that one. The feel wasn't right. Some knobs and switches were broken and not working. I kept telling my instructor to refuel but he wouldn't listen and evenually we ran out of fuel. When he did re-fuel after our crash into the sea, he crashed the whole computer and it had to be re-booted. That took another 10 - 15 minutes. The outside scenery was just a flat screen and nothing like the Queenstown sim. In all, I didn't enjoy it and it was a waste of money. I later found out I was the instrutors first pupil so there's no wonder he didn't know what he was doing. I had a fly of the Sydney 737 Flight Experience in October last year. Everything in that one seemed right except the angle of the runway. It wasn't displayed running right up in front of you. It appeared to point to the left and I found it rather offputting to takeoff or approach a runway that was not directly in front but slightly to the left. It just wasn't right and I think I botched all my landings that day because of the cockeyed approach. If you strike a good Flight Experience sim with great rap-around outside graphics like I did in Queenstown, you will really enjoy it. The outside scenery graphics in the video with this topic reminds me of the Queenstow sim. Yes, it's expensive, but well worth it. On the other hand if you're not satisfied like I was with the Tauranga and Sydney sims, it's not a Flight Experience, it's an Expensive Experience. Bruce RossNZ

Hi guys, my 2 cents.

between SBCT and SBGR (Sao Paulo, Brazil)1 1/2 hour for USD 180.

I flew one for 90 minutes and it was amazing!

Thanks mate, will keep on practising then until I'm fully comfortable. Level D simulator? I take it real world pilots train on that stuff. Does the motion add alot of realism?Cheers.

I hardly noticed the motion. The moves are subtle on the appraoches and take offs. It was my 8th time on a full motion sim, and the 737 NG was disappointing. I always flew the 767 sims, but wanted to try my skills on the 737 to see how it compared to our little 737NGX. The graphics were horrible, I got stuck with a 11pm to 1 am time and I was realy tired. I did OK, as far as setting up the cockpit from a cold dark cockpit, taxing was easy, but the controls were too tight - too much force to control the turns and pitch. My landings were just OK - but I did difficult approaches. ILS with crossswinds, LGA Expressway Visual etc. Anyway, to save time you probably will start off with engines running at the runway. I went for the gate, with cold dark cockpit. So that took 10-15 minutes by time I took off (I had 2 hours though).

I've been tending to spend money on my own hardware rather than these semi-pro setups. They sound like fun though.Am thinking of doing a course for work that involves an hour in an airline level-d sim, 737. Will be really interesting if i do it, after a couple of hundred ngx hours. I suspect flying with trackir and the vc should be great for cockpit familiarisation.

I've been in three 737 Flight Experience simulators. The first one was in Queenstown, New Zealand. The second in Tauranga, New Zealand, and the third in Darling Harbour, Sydney.I did the Queenstown one a few years back. From memory it cost about $300 for two hours. It was worth it and I thoroughly enjoyed it. The cockpit itself was supurb - not much difference, if any, from the real thing. The scenery images outside the window were rap-around and extremely realistic. It was a great experience. I felt at home in that cockpit after spending countless hours flying the PMDG FS2004 NG. I'm going to boast here and say I did perfect take offs and landings in Wellington NZ, and several perfect landings in the old Hong Kong airport. Sadly the Queenstown sim is no longer and I'm not sure where it is now.I tried the Tauranga 737 sim in January 2011. I'm not sure if they call it Flight Experience but it is an identicle simulator. I was very disappointed with that one. The feel wasn't right. Some knobs and switches were broken and not working. I kept telling my instructor to refuel but he wouldn't listen and evenually we ran out of fuel. When he did re-fuel after our crash into the sea, he crashed the whole computer and it had to be re-booted. That took another 10 - 15 minutes. The outside scenery was just a flat screen and nothing like the Queenstown sim. In all, I didn't enjoy it and it was a waste of money. I later found out I was the instrutors first pupil so there's no wonder he didn't know what he was doing. I had a fly of the Sydney 737 Flight Experience in October last year. Everything in that one seemed right except the angle of the runway. It wasn't displayed running right up in front of you. It appeared to point to the left and I found it rather offputting to takeoff or approach a runway that was not directly in front but slightly to the left. It just wasn't right and I think I botched all my landings that day because of the cockeyed approach.If you strike a good Flight Experience sim with great rap-around outside graphics like I did in Queenstown, you will really enjoy it. The outside scenery graphics in the video with this topic reminds me of the Queenstow sim.Yes, it's expensive, but well worth it. On the other hand if you're not satisfied like I was with the Tauranga and Sydney sims, it's not a Flight Experience, it's an Expensive Experience.Bruce RossNZ

Bruce,The one in Queenstown was the MK1 Flight Experience, when Mike Pero was involved. They shut it down as Queenstown was not the greatest town to have it, as most people wanted to bungy jump than fly a 737, go figure.Anyway, Flight Experience started it's life in a garage here in Christchurch, Most of it was franchised out. The one from Queenstown was on trademe for 700K.