Everything is fine, we are falling: ordinary people are given control of a passenger plane

They say you have to try everything in life. I would like to, of course, but who would let us, mere mortals, walk on the moon or command Hollywood stars instead of Tarantino?

It's good that the XXI century throws up alternatives. If there is a desire to take the helm of a passenger plane, it is not necessary to devote three years to pilot school. Ten minutes is enough to get from the Tulskaya metro station to the shopping center, where the company's flight simulators are located TFT.aero . We have come this way and found out whether the simulator is really capable of giving plausible emotions.

In the middle of the spacious hall, a structure resembling a bathyscaphe rises on a movable platform. Another, smaller one is darkening nearby. These are Airbus A320 and Boeing 737, or rather, exact full-size copies of their cabins. All that mass of levers, toggle switches and buttons with which real aviators are controlled is presented here in full. Even the chairs are original.

Pilots practice on the same simulators, only more sophisticated in terms of modeling emergency situations. It is important for professionals to rehearse their actions, for example, in case of a breakdown of the de-icing system, and for entertainment behind the eyes, there is enough engine failure.

There is a plump book in the cabin with instructions on what to do if an emergency situation arises. According to the rules, pilots are required to check it. But here it is rather for the entourage. The instructor acts as a book. He sits in the next chair and patiently explains what to pull and how to twist it quickly. He himself undertakes to pull and twist only if the case is inexorably approaching a plane crash.

The first thing I do is get into the Airbus. The familiar Sheremetyevo landscape appears on the spherical display. Weather conditions and time of day can be set as you like. The photographer commands: "Dawn, clear!" — and we are going to take off. A little exciting, but nothing complicated yet.

Most of the gym center's clients are holders of gift certificates. Gifts-impressions have long been in fashion, and therefore skydiving and adventures in an air tube have already been tried by many. But the transformation into a pilot of a huge liner is something new. Of course, aviation enthusiasts often come, and even pros sometimes drop in to show off or show off in front of a girl.

Meanwhile, we are already flying over Moscow. Maneuvering is easy, the instructor seems to be pleased with me and only sometimes asks me to lower my nose. A beautifully detailed capital is spread out below. The main highways and high-rises are clearly visible. A three-dimensional map of the entire earth's surface is loaded into the program, and theoretically it is possible to order a session for eight hours and fly over Russia with a research mission.

The sense of realism of what is happening is further enhanced when the time comes to activate the mobile platform. The mechanisms react to acceleration and the slightest manipulation of the control knob. With a large-scale turn, you feel like an aeronautical ace. Having got into the taste, I suggest making a "barrel". It turns out that Airbus, unlike Boeing, is "too smart" to allow such a thing. We transfer to the Boeing.

By the way, a visit to the salon TFT.aero paradoxically, it is highly recommended for people with aerophobia. The wedge is knocked out by a wedge much softer if the flight takes place at a height of one and a half meters above the ground. Once in the cockpit, you realize that situations that may seem dangerous to passengers, in fact, are not even close to such. The same notorious turbulence — it can also be turned on on the simulator — is often so insignificant that the captain does not even exit autopilot mode.

The cabin of the Boeing is more compact, and instead of a control stick there is a steering wheel. Airports — 50 pieces to choose from. You can, for example, take off from the same Sheremetyevo airport and fly to Pulkovo in real time. We choose a photogenic runway in Innsbruck, Austria, hidden between the mountains. The flight passes without incident, except for the "barrel". To put it mildly, it didn't work out.

An hour and a half flies by unnoticed. It always happens when you are busy with something exciting. Flying on a simulator is not a cheap pleasure, but, believe me, it's worth the money. TFT.aero offers a unique, incomparable experience. The next time I fly somewhere, I will envy the men sitting in the cockpit.