Author: adi

I know I have said this before but we are quite busy. Unusually for this time of the year airlines are recruiting. It is more normal for charter airlines to recruit during autumn but it seems there is a definite panic on in the industry to get lots of shiny new pilots, and some not so shiny new ones too.

All this is to say you may end up disappointed if you get a phone call or an email from your airline of choice saying get to Gatwick for a sim assessment next week and you call us asking for some time in our sim to get ready. I say this to everyone, there are other simulators in the area and I am sure you will be able to save a couple of quid if you go there but what they don’t have is airline experience and 10 years of sitting with hopefuls who are maybe needing some coaching to get them to an acceptable standard.

Plan ahead, maintain a standard of instrument flying that you achieved to gain your instrument rating. Even if you are in current commercial flying practice I can guarantee you are rusty. When was the last time you flew an aircraft solely on instruments without a flight director and with manual thrust? Very often the best candidates we see have just finished their training. Pilots are so bad at raw data flying these days many airlines are including it as part of their recurrent training.

If you are applying for jobs then get in touch now not the week before your assessment.

If you are planning a trip to our simulator why not make a full day of it. A five minute drive from the simulator is the Doncaster aircraft museum which makes an ideal place to visit for the aviation enthusiast in your life, even if that’s you!

You will also find other things to do in Doncaster via the KAYAK website.

We are experiencing more booking requests than normal, which is nice for us, but not so good if you have a voucher that is expiring. It might be worth checking the dates on your vouchers.

Our contact page has comprehensive directions for your visit to the sim, however some weekends both gates are being closed and you will have to wait unto the security guard comes to open the barrier closest to the guards hut at the Montracon entrance where you should be aiming for on a weekend.

If in doubt just and you cant see a guard a quick blast on your car horn will let them know you need to get through. Failing that just give us a ring and we can try and find them to let you in. It’s not an ideal situation but its better than someone driving off in cars parked at the site.

Where has the last 12 months gone?

We would just like to take this time to wish all our customers a great Christmas and a successful and most importantly a happy new year.

We have been very busy recently mopping up some of the fallout from a couple of sim companies going out of business so hopefully we have helped relieve some of the stress which is bound to have affected those caught in the fallout.

It has been great to see several of our students get their first airline appointments and all of us who have been down the road of getting qualified to fly commercially will know the feeling of relief when you actually get to reverse the flow of money and get paid for flying. When I sit next to a pilot I can always tell which ones are passionate about flying rather than those that just want to wear the uniform and pose and it has been great privilege to help the enthusiasts get their dream job, well done all of you!

It is looking like 2025 will be a busy year with more recruiting and more vouchers being sold for Christmas presents it is just as well that I have retired from flying after 30 years and will be able to focus more on virtual flying than the real thing. Every cloud has a silver lining though; no more waking up at 3:00 am to drive to work!

All the very best from the Jet Simulator crew!

We have midweek slots available now at relatively short notice as we approach the winter recruitment season.

I have said this before but please don’t leave it until the last minute before booking yourself in for some practice. We all get rusty after time away from the flight deck and to be brutally honest it shows when its been six months since you last had a visit to a sim.

Rather than taking your mates and family for a flight n a C152 to practice your skills your time would be better spent in a simulator that behaves like the simulator you will be tested in when you go for an airline assessment. There will be plenty of time (and money) to spend on small aircraft once you are sat in the right seat of a 737.

You may only get one chance for your dream job, don’t risk missing it because you fail the sim.

We have a limited time offer to anyone who flies the virtual skies who fancies doing things properly and wants to learn the aircraft (B737) to get the most enjoyment out of your home flight simulator or be able to fly our sim solo.

Email us and we can discuss things further. You will be learning from people who fly the actual aircraft and are happy to show you how everything works.

It will be an especially happy new year for those pilots who have just landed their first jobs with various airlines and will be making their way through training ready for the chaos that is the summer season.

Don’t let your guard down though, people do get chopped and the standards are very high these days for flight crew. None of us ever stop learning and if you think you know it all you could be in the wrong job. So with that in mind we are offering a discount to those who just want to sit in a simulator and go through procedures rather than fly the sim. Get in touch and see what we can do to make you stand out of the crowd!

One of our friends has had his very own 737-800 simulator in his home but due to a change in circumstances he is looking to sell it all. Get in touch with us and we will put you in touch with him.

We are into the busy time of year for us, not least because people are looking for unique gifts for friends and family and a flight in a 737 simulator is pretty unique but also because it is this time of year that airlines recruit pilots for the following season so we are getting plenty of calls from people wanting to do some practice for an upcoming simulator assessment.

We will always try to help but we are struggling sometimes to fit people in at very short notice. So why not do yourself a very big favor and book a session now, do it at your leisure rather than a last minute panic. If you are applying for jobs you have done all the hard work and most of the expense, are you willing to risk all that by failing to keep your flying skill sharp. Many people come the night before the assessment, they are stressed and worried and is shows in their flying, but its too late. Think about it. Do an hour or two now with the people who know what you need to know. Don’t leave it too late!