This morning, I got to experience a
rare treat that few people ever get to experience - a trip in one of Delta’s MD-88
flight simulators. These are a major training tool for the pilots of DELTA and
other airlines. They must log at least 1500 flight hours in a simulator before
they can get behind the controls of an actual plane with passengers on it.
The noises, lights, controls,
alarms, and feel were all very real. I took off from LGA (La Guardia airport in
NY), flew around Manhattan, past the Empire State building, around the Statue of
Liberty, over Central Park and then did an approach and landing back at LGA. On
take off, I followed the same flight path as the pilot who landed the plane on
the Hudson. It
is pretty eye-opening to see that it was less than 45 seconds from take to the
point where he landed the plane. What great skill and technique he
had!
I only crashed once—on landing—but
it wasn’t my fault. As co-pilot (and a rookie), I relied heavily on the pilot
to set the landing gear properly and to instruct me on what to do. I accidently
landed nose-gear first and not the tail gear. Oops!!! I was able to retry an
approach and landing and nailed it the second time. Score!!!! It was super
exciting.
Two of my co-workers were there as
well. One flew into, around, and landed at IAD (Reagan International airport in
Washington, DC). We saw the Washington Memorial, the
White House and the Capital Building. The other flew into, around,
and landed at SFO (San Francisco International airport in San Francisco, CA). We flew around Alcatraz, over the
Golden Gate Bridge and the Pacific
Ocean. We were able to select weather conditions—turbulence, winds,
storms, cloud coverage—as well as time of day. It made for some pretty awesome
flying.
Attached are some pictures of me and
the flight simulator. Needless to say, I am so excited and loved flying. It
was truly a once in a lifetime experience. I wish/hope I can do it again one
day.
