Ever since the stealth bomber roared past me at an air show many years ago, I look skyward every time I hear a jet engine.
In Mississauga, where people seem oblivious to the non-stop air traffic at Pearson International Airport, I'm the one craning my neck to see which airline carrier is passing overhead.
So, when I had the opportunity to take the pilot controls of a 737-800 simulator, l jumped at the chance. It's not every day a reporter gets to fly a plane.
That's the whole business concept behind Horizon Aviation – allowing just about anyone to get the feel of the most popular, best-selling aircraft in the world, with 5,000 currently in use around the globe.
Owned by three Mississauga businessmen, Horizon Aviation opened last month at 2470 Lucknow Dr., Unit 1, appropriately located across from Pearson. Mickey Bodog, Bill Christopulos and Slawko Borys are all employed in the aviation field so they understand the thrill people feel when they get to experience the nearest thing to flying a real jet itself.
Participants are seated directly in the captain's seat in the cockpit of a retired United Airlines 737. Even it has a story. It was United Airlines' planes that were hijacked and crashed by terrorists into the World Trade Centre and on a Pennsylvania farm field on 9/11. The plane's dubious serial number, N-9-11UA, was enough for United Airlines to retire it early in 2004. Stripped apart and sold for parts, Bodog said his company acquired the cockpit with the simulator in mind.
But as much as the history of the plane was fascinating, what I was really itching to do was get behind the wheel or, in this case, the yoke. Fear not! I didn't crash. Well, not exactly; I didn't quite hit the runway, veering sharply onto the turf. As my first officer, Bodog, said, "You made a nice little divot, but you didn't crash."
On my second attempt, it was a little cleaner and my final two landings, both Pearson night simulations, were bumpy, but centered quite nicely on the runway.
But no, don't jump to any conclusions, like having me take over the controls of a real plane in case of an emergency. All the knobs, levers and throttles are too intimidating, even after two hours of training.
In addition to flying enthusiasts, Horizon also gets commercial pilots, some of them with local air carriers who are training new hires. The instructors are all licensed pilots.
"It gives people a chance to get comfortable with a modern airliner," Bodog said. "You don't have to be a pilot. It's also for those who's dreamt of flying a plane and never had a chance."
Flight packages start at $199 per hour. Any airport and destination around the world can be simulated with the help of the seven computers that operate the system.
Visit www.horizonaviation.ca for details.
jslack@mississauga.net
