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SPITFIRE MKIX SIMULATOR Experiences and Packages
ABOUT
There’s only one Spitfire simulator in the world authentic enough to train new pilots and give exhilarating wartime combat experiences to non-pilots. And it’s at our very own headquarters in Goodwood Aerodrome!
The simulator has 3 key components that make your experience so authentic. With these components working together, it’s not the closest thing to flying a real Spitfire – it IS flying a real Spitfire.
A Real Fuselage
Roughly 50% of the simulator’s fuselage is built from wartime parts. So when you sit in the airframe, you enter a plane that actually flew in defence of British freedom.
The next 40% is made from parts that didn’t meet the strict standards for a newly restored aircraft. They might have been slightly mis-drilled or twisted. But while they’re not suitable for the skies, they’re perfect for an authentic Spitfire flight simulator experience.
The final 10% of parts were made specifically for the simulator. They aid in the conversion of analogue information into digital. Most of these are hidden away beneath the genuine Spitfire parts to ensure absolute realism.
This means the Spitfire simulator cockpit is indistinguishable from the real thing – even to a wartime or modern Spitfire pilot!
While the inner workings of the gauges have been replaced by modern electronics, they retain their original dials and needles. Many of the controls are similarly original, including the spade grip with which you fly the aircraft. And all the controls and dials also work exactly as they would in a wartime aircraft.
The Spitfire simulator’s original wartime parts include (though aren’t limited to):
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Spade grip parts
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Fuselage frames
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Rudder mechanism parts
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Fuel tank cover
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All instruments
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The undercarriage selector
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Primer pump
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Seatbelt mechanism
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Canopy frame
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Door mechanism parts
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Switches
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Throttle quadrant parts
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Gunsight
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Numerous other controls and more
When you fly this simulator, you truly are flying a piece of World War II history.
Visual and Sound System
The fuselage is mounted with a 1.5m radius fibreglass dome that covers 220 degrees horizontally. So when you look forward and up, all you see is the projected world.
There are 7 projectors mounted on a pole near the rear of the fuselage. But they’re expertly blended on the domed surface. This makes it impossible to tell where one projection ends and another begins.
The centre of the dome is situated at the eyepoint of the pilot. Both the nose and wings of the aircraft are projected but are exactly correct in size and scale. And the flaps and ailerons move precisely as you would expect.
The photorealistic countryside has been added to the simulation for Goodwood Aerodrome, Southampton Airport and Shoreham Airport, as well as the surrounding areas. That means every house, hill and field on the ground is represented in the projection.
The sound of the glorious Merlin engine reaches your ears through the headset you wear in the cockpit. Your simulator instructor can also talk to you just as an air traffic controller would while you can still hear the engine roaring in the background. This creates a level of immersion that no wooden replica or digital simulation can hope to match.
Motion and Force Feedback Systems
The final components to convince you that you’re actually flying a Spitfire are the motion and force feedback systems.
The motion system works in pitch axis. That means you can feel bumps on the runway, engine vibrations, turbulence and other movements through the airframe for peerless realism.
The controls are also attached to a force feedback unit designed to mimic the characteristics of Spitfire flight controls. So as you accelerate, the controls get harder to move, as they do when moved to full deflection.
These two systems working together adds that final and essential element of authenticity. Once your Spitfire flight simulator experience begins, you’ll be completely and utterly certain you’re flying a Spitfire.
Spitfire simulator photos
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THE MISSION
As Johnnie would no doubt have told you himself, Spitfires are notoriously tricky to handle on the ground, but an absolute dream in the air. For this reason, we generally start our sorties in the air. If time and ability permits, we will offer you the opportunity to take-off. These sim sessions are designed to give you an amazing insight into the skill and workload involved in piloting such an incredible war bird. With so much power in the 27 litre Rolls-Royce Merlin engine and the speed she is capable of, just keeping her flying straight and level is a challenge in itself!
During your session you’ll be learning the basics of flying and might even take your first foray into aerobatics. Will you be returning to base to perform a Victory Roll? You flight will involve all of the below unless there is something else you's specifically like to do:
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Brief introduction to instruments and controls including effects of controls
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Brief introduction to handling
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Start in the air
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Basic handling and effects of controls
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Power adjustments
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Aerobatics
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Attempt landing
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If time permits, attempt take-off
THE AIRCRAFT - MK392 (JE-J)
The simulator fuselage has been painted to replicate the MK9 Spitfire of Johnnie Johnson, MK392, an aircraft that bore Johnson's initials on the side JE-J, a privilege given to Wing Leaders during the war and the black and white D-Day stripes.
Air Vice Marshall James Edgar Johnson (known as Johnnie) was credited with 34 individual victories as well as seven shared victories, three shared probable, 10 damaged, three shared damaged and one destroyed on the ground. The bulk of his victories flying two Spitfires Mk. IX. The first one was EN398 in which he shot down 12 aircraft and shared five plus six damaged while commanding the Kenley Wing. His second mount, MK392, was an LF Mk. IX, in which his tally increased by another 12 aircraft plus one shared destroyed on the ground. His last victory of the war in September 1944 was scored in MK392.
For this mission you'll be borrowing Johnnie's Spitfire to see if you have what it takes to pilot this fine aircraft. The flight will be tailored to your requirements but expect to have a go and basic flying maneuvers, a victory roll, a landing and possibly even a take off!