Level D Full Motion Simulators // Available to the Public // UK Based
Full Motion Simulator Hire // UK Based
Full Motion Simulator Hire // UK Based
In these frequently asked questions we have made every effort to include the answers to any question you may have in our product pages. If not … or if you missed anything … we hope that the information on this page is useful to you.
If you don’t find the answer to your question here, please give us a call or contact us via chat or the contact form on our contact page >
General experience FAQs
At any age, you are expected to bring proof of age with you in case the training compound requires it. Anyone under aged 16-18 is asked to bring their birth certificate or passport to prove their age.
For those undertaking the B737 experience, the minimum age is 18 years of age.
If you are partaking in the A320 experience, a minimum age of 16 is imposed. An Adult must accompany anyone under the age of 18.
The difference between the two is due to the differing rules between the flight training compounds the simulators are located in.
You are able to bring anyone over the age of 16 years of age as a guest in either simulator. For teenage guests we ask they remain respectful and well behaved … this is a training facility with professional pilots. We are privileged to be able to be there.
Quadrant Systems and L3Harris do not allow video or photos to be taken of the outside of the building, the inside of the building and therefore the outside of the simulator.
You are permitted to take video and photos while inside the simulator.
Any photos or video are to be for personal use.
Should you wish to film or take photos for commercial use, we ask that you discuss with us before your booking as there will be a further fee per hour that would need to be paid.
It depends on what you mean by last minute.
In order to arrange a booking we need to have your diary, the instructor diary and the simulator diary match up.
In this industry, last minute is actually anything in the next 30 days. The simulators get booked by airlines, professional pilots and for the compounds own training a month or two in advance. We then fit our bookings around those. As such, you may have to change your availability around the simulator and it’s schedule.
We are happy to check availability for you before you buy your experience voucher but it is not guaranteed until we have received payment AND we have written confirmation from the simulator compound.
We find that the training compounds also take up to 24 hours to respond to us.
Due to this arranging an experience in a few days time can be a stressful experience for all. Particularly if you need to arrange travel and accommodation.
We would very much suggest that if you are booking and wanting to complete your experience within the next few days … please keep in mind that although we will try to fulfill your request, no promises can be made until we have received payment AND the compound has replied with confirmation of the booking to us.
We can not be held responsible for any travel, hotels or any other arrangements you may have made before a formal booking confirmation email has been sent to you by Full Motion Experience.
Yes, you can bring people with you.
In the B737 simulator at Quadrant Systems there is room in the simulator for your instructor, you and two other people.
We ask that guests are over 16 years of age.
For public experiences in the A320 at L3Harris, one guest is allowed and they must be over 16 years of age.
We would ask that when organising your experience that you check with us to ensure that the situation with the pandemic allows for guests at the time.
These Full Motion Simulators are used for pilots to train and build up enough hours, knowledge and confidence to fly the real thing.
As such … yes … they match the real thing exactly.
We are privileged to have access to such amazing machines.
As you will know. A Fixed Base Simulator doesn’t move. They can be brilliant pieces of kit and even though they don’t move they can give the illusion of movement.
The Full Motion Flight Simulators that we have access to are a different beast. Instead of the £100k price tag a decent fixed base set-up will set you back, the Full Motion is nearer to £15 million!
With its hydraulic legs, it offers 6 degrees of movement to allow for you to not only believe you are flying from what you see but also feel! The feel of differing weathers can be applied to your flight including wind patterns and turbulence from mild to extreme!
There are also classifications of simulator that make one a training tool and the other a Full Flight System … which the simulators we use are.
You can read more about the differences beteen fixed base and full motion here >
Pilots come in all shapes and sizes.
If you are able to travel on a passenger aircraft without issues … you will be fine when it comes to using the simulator.
There are thousands of options when it comes to choosing the locations you want to fly to and from. The systems the simulators use are kept up to date and the software being used will be the most current.
As such, you will most likely be able to fly to and from your chosen airports, even if quite obscure.
As training machines for numerous airlines that fly out of the UK, there are certain locations that will be more detailed due to the fact they are used more often to train with.
This isn’t to suggest your airport or location won’t be possible.
It may however be less detailed.
You can read more about the locations fully mapped in the systems by reading the article detailing the airports available in the Full Motion Simulators.
Please do ask us before you have your experience and we will let you know how detailed your favourite location is.
As far as flight times, you will be limited by the time you have in the simulator. You can of course take off from one place … get to cruising altitude and then skip the middle bit. It is possible to drop you 10 miles (for example) from your chosen landing strip. Be advised though that this may ruin the immersion of the experience. It really depends on what you are trying to achieve.
You will have booked the simulator for a period of time. What you decide to do with that time and who you decide to share it with is up to you! Be aware, there’s a lot to take in and time flies … fast!
If you decide to split your time with someone else you may find that you won’t get the full experience you may have been hoping for, particularly if there were landings, weather types, levels of turbulence you wanted to experience.
As such, if more than one person wants to control the simulator we would suggest it is applied to experiences of over 60 minutes.
In short … if you booked 90 minutes in the captain’s chair flying the simulator … you get 90 minutes flying the simulator.
As soon as you step into the simulator it is all about you and what you want to achieve. We will have a briefing but this will be performed before you get to the simulator in one of the briefing rooms. As such we suggest you arrive ahead of your allotted slot. You will be advised as to when to arrive when you book your experience. Depending on what you want to do and the instructor’s schedule, there may be time after the allotted time in the simulator to talk through your performance.
Our instructors are all fully qualified commercial and simulator pilots. They bring to you a wealth of knowledge and experience, combined 30 years and over 45,000 hours of flight time in the air.
I am afraid we can not promise a particular instructor for your experience. It highly depends on their availability: they may well be flying actual commercial aircraft that day!
All of our instructors have a wealth of knowledge and experience and we are confident that you will have an amazing time regardless of who is your co-pilot.
This hasn’t happened to us yet BUT with the pandemic in mind we do ask that you take a cautious approach to deciding if you should or shouldn’t go forward with your experience.
If someone else is with you on the day and you are not able to perform the experience, we will allow you to gift it to your friend.
We do not offer refunds after 30 days and will not re-book within a week of the experience date. This is due to needing to book the time slot with our third party (Quadrant Systems & L3Harris) which after this point is not refundable to us.
In fact, L3 has a strict policy of not allowing a booking to be changed after it has been paid for. Please keep this in mind.
A “Combo” voucher or combination flight allows for you to have half of your allotted time in one simulator and half of it in the other.
So 120 minutes would be 60 minutes in the B737 and 60 minutes in the A320.
You can choose to have this time all at once … one after the other OR you can book them on different days.
We offer refunds in the first 30 days of purchase. Even in this circumstance we would charge a £20 fee for the admin involved and to cover the payment processing fees that will have been already charged to us. If the processing fee is more than this, we will charge £10 + the processing fee.
Please keep this in mind if you are gifting this to someone in several months’ time.
If a simulator date has been booked and confirmed within the first 30 days a refund is also not possible.
The general plan for the experiences are outlined on each of the simulator product pages.
It is highly dependent on your experience. We can assume you are brand new to being in a cockpit or we can treat you like a seasoned pilot. The latter may be more appropriate for home simmers or if you have completed multiple fixed base experiences previously.
If there are specific things you want to accomplish during your time with us, let us know ahead of time or tell the instructor when you arrive.
Our instructors will be able to talk through what may interest you in the initial briefing. They know the great views, exciting approaches and landings. We will create a plan for you before you go in to ensure that you get an experience tailored to you.
Most definitely. Specific weather conditions? Engine down? Do you have a specific challenging landing you want to try? The time is yours and what we do during it is down to you.
We have had people previously ask us to pretend that the pilots have been taken ill and they, as a passenger, are asked to step up and land the plane! With us pretending to be air traffic control!
We have created bolt-on products for the B737 you can have a look at here >
They are presently not available for the A320 as we are not able to hire per half hour in that simulator. Looking at these bot-ons is good inspiration though as the time in the simulator can be used however you wish.
In these circumstances we would ask you to speak to your doctor first. If they give the thumbs up … we defer to their medical experience.
Generally we go by this … if you can travel in an aeroplane normally, you will be fine in the Full Motion Simulator.
You are responsible for your own well-being though … consult a doctor if you think you will have any issues.
However much we would like to say we are … we are not the only company offering such an experience.
You may find that some companies speak of having “Full Motion” when it is actually a fixed base set up that has then been added to some form of platform.
Others suggest they offer full motion by offering a VR headset and putting you in a chair that moves around.
Our experiences are held in Level D (fit for pilot training) Full Motion Simulators. Full flight decks on top of hydraulics offering 6 degrees of movement. You will likely not be able to distinguish it from the real thing.
There are a few companies that have access to such machines.
From what we have found though we are the most reasonable when it comes to price … particularly notable as we refuse to skimp on our standards when it comes to delivering the experience.
Training Compound FAQs
Yes. There is a large car park next to the Quadrant Systems building.
There is also free parking at L3Harris if you are attending for a public experience in the A320.
Our experiences in both locations can be considered to be challenging for someone who may require wheelchair access.
The experiences are conducted in the Full Motion Simulators which have large stairways up to the flight deck.
We regret to say that although wheelchair access may be ok for much of the building it is not possible to gain access to the simulators.
Quadrant Systems provide pilot training for both individuals wanting to start their career and airlines looking to hone the skills of their workforce.
They have given Full Motion Experience permission to use their £15 million flight simulators, usually reserved for commercial and military pilot training.
We are incredibly pleased to be able to offer experiences in these amazing pieces of flight training. Each simulator is given a rating (Level D) which allows for it to be used for training professional pilots.
L3 Harris are a professional flight training facility.
We have permission to access the simulators which are usually reserved for pilot training.
We are incredibly pleased to be able to offer experiences in these amazing pieces of flight training. Each simulator is given a rating (Level D) which allows for it to be used for training professional pilots.
Commercial Pilot Career Intro Course FAQs
We are a company that specialises in Full Motion Simulator Experiences and general hire.
Full Flight Simulators at Level D are the closest to the real thing as you can get. The size of a house on hydraulics to recreate any scenario you want. With this in mind, if you want to see what the working life of a commercial pilot is really like … why would you choose to use a fixed base simulator?
We tend to assume anyone who enrols in this course already has experience, either with home simulators, Microsoft simulator or having already hired a fixed base simulator. This isn’t a necessity by any means though.
You are welcome to take notes during the classroom elements of the course. You may find that doing so aids you and fits your learning style. We do however provide a PDF after the course which includes much of the information that will be covered. If you have specific questions during your time with us you may want to note it down.
This has been outlined in depth on the product pages. Please choose the product below and read the “What can I expect” section.
* Commercial Pilot B737 Career Intro Course
* Commercial Pilot A320 Career Intro Course
* Complete Commercial Pilot Career Intro Course
This has been outlined in depth on the product pages. Please choose the product below and read the “What can I expect” section.
* Commercial Pilot B737 Career Intro Course
* Commercial Pilot A320 Career Intro Course
* Complete Commercial Pilot Career Intro Course
For any simulator booking with Quadrant Systems or L3Harris the golden rule to get the day(s)/time(s) that work for you are to book as far in advance as possible.
The simulators are primarily for use by aviation professionals and are often booked out, in bulk, by airlines. We are privileged to be able to get access to these £15 million training machines and as such arranging time in them may mean that we need to consider their availability before yours.
It is not unrealistic to assume that if you want to complete the course in the next two or three calendar months that you will struggle to find a time that would be considered a preference. At weekends or between 9am-6pm for example. This is not to say it definitely isn’t possible, odd shifts do become available, relying on this may bring disappointment though.
You may need to be flexible and accept earlier or later slots to complete the simulator sessions.
The whole point of this course is to show you what it is like to be a commercial pilot. These simulators are open 24 hours a day, flights can leave at any time of day … it is most definitely a good idea to get used to the fact you may be working at unsociable times.
As mentioned above, booking simulator time is best done in advance by a matter of months.
For example, If you received this course as a Christmas gift, it would be best to look at dates in March / April / May.
When you know what month you wish to complete your course, email or call us with your voucher number. We will then request new updated schedules from the training compound. This could take up to 48 hours. With this information we then check our instructors availability and come back to you with available dates to choose from.
When you have dates from us, do not take too long to choose which you would like. The schedules fill up FAST.
In theory, if only one person … yes it is possible. With enough advance notice we may be able to book an early slot at one location and a late shift at the next.
Keep in mind, each simulator is in a different location 20-25 minutes apart.
With two people, this is not possible. The amount of time you will have in the simulator will make our instructors working day far too long.
We do however suggest that you separate the two simulator sessions over two days. Depending on availability this may be able to be completed in successive days. It may be more spaced out. You may prefer this as after your first session you will be buzzing and will likely want to do your own research before jumping into the next one. Performing one and then the next may be too swift for you to take in the information and general experience.
Most definitely. We would suggest this is the way that the course runs.
The reason being that after your first classroom sessions and simulator experience you will want to spend some time taking in what you have learned and potentially completing your own research.
The simulators are also in different locations 20-25 minutes apart. It may feel too rushed to complete in a single day.
You may choose to have the course over two weeks … or two months! … if the simulator and instructor is available on the desired dates … we would be happy to separate the course out.
Keep in mind, each simulator is in a different location 20-25 minutes apart.
With two people, this is not possible. The amount of time you will have in the simulator will make our instructors working day far too long.
We do however suggest that you separate the two simulator sessions over two days. Depending on availability this may be able to be completed in successive days. It may be more spaced out. You may prefer this as after your first session you will be buzzing and will likely want to do your own research before jumping into the next one. Performing one and then the next may be too swift for you to take in the information and general experience.
You may have noticed that with an additional person there is additional time devoted to the classroom and the simulator. Our thinking for doing this is as such:
* An additional 30 minutes to the course is ample time to cover the questions of an additional person and their debrief.
* Simulator time is doubled. This allows for each person to get equal time in the simulator. Both people can attend for both sessions in the simulator should they want to. Alternatively, you may want to use the time to get some food, have a break etc.
If you decide to share simulator time, once the A to B flight is completed (including start up, checks, taxi, shut down) if there is time left it can be spent as you wish. If you would like to try several landings to see if you or your friend completes them better, for example … that is up to you.
In general, unless they have paid to be on the course the answer is no. You are not able to bring someone with you into the classroom or simulator sessions.
For people 16-18 years of age, you must be accompanied by an adult. They are required to sit in with the course and in the simulator BUT are not considered part of the course.
* An additional 30 minutes to the course is ample time to cover the questions of an additional person and their debrief.
* Simulator time is doubled. This allows for each person to get equal time in the simulator. Both people can attend for both sessions in the simulator should they want to. Alternatively, you may want to use the time to get some food, have a break etc.
If you decide to share simulator time, once the A to B flight is completed (including start up, checks, taxi, shut down) if there is time left it can be spent as you wish. If you would like to try several landings to see if you or your friend completes them better, for example … that is up to you.
We do not have any ties with local businesses. As such we can not help you with suggestions in this case.
We are happy to signpost you to the relevant places in order to continue your journey into the world of aviation.
You may choose to learn more from our instructors, the simulator can be hired by the hour (B737) or 2+ hours (A320).
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