Before I get started, I must say a massive thank you to Ben Hilton, who gave me the opportunity to fly with him last year. He has a YouTube Channel where he uploads a number of flying videos which is well worth checking out:

TheProfessionalNooby

Towards the end of last year, I took a flight in a Flight Designs CTSW microlight from Elstree Aerodrome, up to the Imperial War Museum Duxford and back. Now there's only one way you should ever go to an aviation museum, and that is to fly there.

For years now I've aspired to take flight in a (micro)light aircraft and really get a feel for flying from the cockpit. Thanks to years of flying on the various simulators available for the PC, and also trips to Poland in the summer, I have always enjoyed flying and one day hoped I would become a pilot.

Having only ever flown commercial, I finally got the opportunity to head out in a light aircraft, and that's something I would never turn down!

The pilot is a personal friend of mine, Ben Hilton. We've played Airsoft at the same site for a number of years, so I already had a good idea of his character. Ben has been flying since he was 17, and works for Fly By Light; a flight school and plane hiring company, and has recently trained for his instructor's rating in the French Alps.

We had tried to fly a week before in the Ikarus C42, but strong winds that were beyond the aircraft's capabilities (18 knots and gusting, the Ikarus can only fly at 15) meant we had to abort takeoff as soon as we reached the runway. A shame, but we weren't going to leave it at that.

Arriving at Elstree on a Wednesday morning, I headed into the Fly By Light base of operations, where Ben was calling up Duxford announcing our intention to fly. Winds were good, visibility was perfect, and there were 2 POB. It was at that moment I really started to get excited - We were actually going to do it!

Our outbound flight departed Elstree RWY26 at 0937z. We were given clearance to taxi onto the runway and depart on our own accord with winds at 8 knots. As we taxied into position, we both started humming the theme to Top Gun. This was going to be an experience...

Ben spooled up the propeller, did his last check ensuring the plane had power, and we were off!

The feeling of rotating in the smaller aircraft was definitely an experience. Not as 'harsh' as a jetliner, we crawled off the ground ever so slightly. Ben stabilised for the winds, kept the plane steady, then increased our angle of attack.

We looped around the airfield heading left downwind, before turning to the left and leaving their airspace. We cruised at 1500 to 1600 feet and were airborne for a good 47 minutes.

Being in a light aircraft and flying from the cockpit, is a VERY different experience to anything I've done before.

Even though I had flown light aircraft in simulators, there was a lot that now felt new to me due to the 'real' environment.

The feeling you get with a real aircraft, is something no simulator can ever replicate. During climb out and descent, you can really feel the G-forces on your body. Turbulence is also interesting to fly through, as is the feeling of being powerless to stronger gusts of wind that occasionally blow past you. Fortunately for us, winds were rather calm, so this was not something we felt much of at all. As soon as we rotated and stabilized the aircraft, Ben then pulled back on the stick, increasing our rate of climb as we reached our cruising altitude of 1500 to 1600 feet. While only light, you can really feel the G-forces that come over you as you increase your climb rate, or push to the left and right as you bank.

One thing I noticed, was how sensitive the flight stick really is. The slightest of movements is enough to bank the aircraft and send it into a turn. You can also feel each vibration as the airflow and turbulence wraps itself around the wings. Most if not all simulator joysticks are very static with how they work, using deadzones to stop any spiking that may occur with a faulty sensor. This is certainly not something a real aircraft suffers from, especially with light aircraft which use cable linkage directly attached to the control stick.

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The most obvious difference between real-life flying and that of a simulated environment, has to be with the scenery. Whilst you can do everything in your power to make your P3D and X-Plane look realistic, nothing will ever beat how the real world looks and feels. Looking down at the world, and seeing the cars on the road, the towns and cities grouped together, and the odd plume of smoke from farmers burning old waste stock, it just doesn't compare to a simulator. FSX especially gets the sense of scale wrong, with buildings looking far too big from the sky (flying at 2000 feet in FSX looks nothing like real-life). However, in saying that, there are some things that flight simulators do get right!

Thanks to Blade Element Theory, it's possible to get a flight simulator's flight dynamics very close to what you would expect to feel in the real world. That means things like, banking, wind, and weight effects, are possible to replicate in simulators such as X-Plane, thanks to their method of calculating the airflow around different parts of the aircraft.

Aircraft systems can also be replicated to a high degree in flight simulation. In a smaller, high quality model aircraft, it is possible to have each individual function work, while the same can also be said for larger aircraft with more advanced systems. When you look at the PMDG 737 on FSX, or the FlightFactor A320 on X-Plane, they are both aircraft with fully fledged systems that work exactly as you would expect them to do in the real world.

Air Traffic Control is another area in which simulators can excel, thanks to free communities like VATSIM, and (if they can get their voice codecs right), IVAO and PilotEdge. These communities have real people directing traffic and controlling airspaces. As a result, it's possible to achieve some really good in-depth simming; one which is pretty close to that of the real world.

Anyway, back to the flight!

As we approached Duxford, we left Luton Approach and contacted the tower, who took us in left downwind, with a loop around the town. As Ben and I crossed the motorway, we lined up with the runway to land. A few moments later, Ben skilfully brought us in for a nice soft landing.

Landing fees at Duxford are only £15, which of course I paid for. It's also worth mentioning that when you land at Duxford, you get two hours free entry to the Duxford Museum, which is a nice extra bonus!

All too soon though, it was time to head back to Elstree. My job on the return leg was to help with aircraft spotting, and this was something I rather enjoyed. Keeping an eye on a vintage bi-plane which had taken off a few moments before, was my first task, and I made sure that Ben and I kept well clear of it.

For the return journey, we decided to take a slightly different, more interesting route; one which would take us over Luton Airport during a gap in the traffic.

On contacting the tower, they told us to hold at OXLEY until further instruction. Holding however didn't last too long, and we were cleared through the Northern Airfield Boundary. A few moments later, there in all its glory, was Britain's most hated airport...EGGW Luton.

It's safe to say that I'm no fan of Luton, but seeing it from this perspective, I must say...it looked rather beautiful. As luck would have it, we had timed our crossing at just the right moment, as an easyJet A320 was departing right beneath us. Personally, Luton was the highlight of the trip, and is something I'd definitely want to experience again!

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About 20 minutes later, we intercepted the M25 below, which meant tuning back onto Elstree Tower and starting our approach pattern.

Now Elstree is certainly not a quiet airfield, as there are plenty of aircraft coming and going, with touch and goes happening for most of the day. This means that extra vigilance is needed from the pilots and tower.

During the final stages of our approach, another aircraft (one located behind us), began slowing, so as to space landings. The aircraft in question was told by the tower to keep an eye out for an 'Ikarus 42', the aircraft usually flown on this route. When Ben corrected them, the response from the tower was hilarious, as we were then referred to as the 'Bigger One'!

And with that, our flight came to an end with a textbook landing from Ben.

Reflecting back, I was so glad I had the opportunity to experience flying like this, especially as the pilot was a good friend of mine. The insight it gave me to what was involved, was second to none, and something I will always remember! So with my first real flight under my belt, does this mean that I have given up on flight simulation? Not in the slightest.

What flight simulators offer, is the thrill of flying, albeit from the safety of your armchair. They allow us to become jet pilots, bush pilots, air traffic controllers; you name it, they create it!

It took me 11 years of FS2004, FSX and X-Plane 11 before I stepped into the cockpit of a real plane, and while there are differences, there are plenty of similarities too.

For me however, I'll be an armchair pilot for a little bit longer...but I can definitely see my PPL before me now!

First Attempt Aborted Takeoff

First Flight

Flight Sim vs Real Life

360 cockpit video