Simulator and VR

It's a different world. Situational awareness, overall perception — I could go on forever. If I had to pick a few things that made the biggest difference, it's definitely the feeling on landing. I felt like I was sitting in a fighter jet, sensing every movement of the aircraft (I was sitting in a seat that moved in sync with the plane). I had no trouble with the approach, monitoring altitude, or speed. And that feeling when you start braking and you sense the aircraft going onto the brakes. At the other extreme was the feeling during an outside loop — that's where I had trouble with orientation. I wasn't completely lost, but it took me a moment to work out which way was the right way up.

I tried out dogfights, which were like a completely different dimension compared to flying on monitors. I could monitor the entire hemisphere around the aircraft. Even that didn't stop my engine from taking damage from an enemy cannon. I got to experience what it's like to fly on one engine and manoeuvre.

Last but not least, I have to mention the take-off and landing on an aircraft carrier. It was wild. You take off at genuinely low speed. Landing is on a very short strip, even with the arresting wires. In terms of piloting it demands far more precision than landing on a concrete runway.

Those two hours left me feeling amazing — virtual reality really pulls you in. I can only recommend the experience.