In the simulator of the L-39 Albatros trainer, I found out what it's like.

I had some experience from IL-2 Sturmovik and Lock-On simulators. But this is a whole different thing…

Complete pre-start procedure There's a lot to it, including things like pressurising the cockpit.

Rudder pedals I expected them to be harder to handle. In the air I had no trouble at all — the body just worked intuitively. On the ground it was a bit wilder though. At lower speeds it wasn't as smooth.

Takeoff After starting the engine and checking the brakes, I pushed the throttle to 106% and released. I finally felt what it means to have your heart in your throat. I was genuinely scared for the first time in a while… needlessly. I had a slight tendency to pull back too much but was stopped in time.

Flight Working the throttle is amazing — engine lag less so. But that's just the Ivchenko AI-25TL for you. I tried a roll, a loop, a tail slide, and of course a spin.

Landing Using the instruments I managed to get onto the centreline and do two touch-and-go passes. On the third and final attempt I didn't pay enough attention to the airspeed indicator… I took out the landing gear and landed on the belly.

What did I learn? Managing multiple things at once. You're juggling airspeed, altitude, artificial horizon, heading — and you still have to look outside! And I was only averaging 400 km/h. Push forward, don't pull. PC simulators train you wrong — if you're falling you push the throttle and pull back. That's the road to disaster. The right move is to push the stick forward (gain speed — lift), then add throttle. Only then do you pull back. Gently. I got it wrong a few times and had to recover from a spin.

And I'll be back! Even if it's not the real thing, it's just an incredible feeling!