Flying Down to Rio: trying out iPilot in London

[caption id="attachment_2711" align="alignnone" width="1200"] The two pilots get ready to fly[/caption]

Ever wanted to know what it's like to fly a plane? Robert and Brian found out at iPilot....Here's what they thought:

Robert, aged 11 says:

Dad and I had the opportunity to try out a flight simulator in the centre of London which real life pilots use to practice. During my one hour session I just about learnt how to use all the confusing instruments on the control panel and by the end could take off and land without crashing. For me it was pretty bewildering and more stressful than I was expecting – that’s because it was so realistic.

The cockpit was almost identical to a real plane, which was cool, as it meant I was basically flying an aircraft. You do not feel any movement in your seats (like a bump when you land) so if you want a thrilling, moving ride this isn’t the one for you - it is more like real-life. One thing I really liked was that I could pick which airports to take off from and land (so I went to Rio, Sydney and Hong Kong) although the graphics weren’t exactly state of the art. Overall I enjoyed the experience although it was a lot of information to handle.

Brian says:

After Rob had moved out of the pilot’s seat, it was my turn to take over the controls. The instructions we had been given (by a real pilot) were very clear, but I would almost certainly have crashed without him guiding me. There were many factors to constantly monitor (e.g. altitude, airspeed, nose position etc) while trying to look at the outside too.

I asked to take off from Vancouver and it was really enjoyable to see the beautiful scenery and fly over the mountains near the city. The simulator is certainly no toy, and can well imagine that this would be an invaluable tool for budding pilots to improve their skills. I would recommend the simulator, not as a thrill ride, but to test your skills in almost real life conditions. It takes mental strength and lots of practice to fly a virtual plane.

Disclosure: Robert and Brian spent two hours at iPilot in London, W1, as the guests of the company. A one hour flights costs £109 and a two hour experience costs £209. All ages are welcome, from 6 upwards.

More posts by Robert:

Fulfilling a dream by skydiving

An unforgettable speed boat ride in London

Luxury: flying first-class on British Airways from London to Washington DC

[caption id="attachment_1952" align="alignnone" width="940"] Robert gets some attention on board![/caption]

How often have you dreamed of going left, instead of right when getting onto an aeroplane? When we went from London to Washington DC we were lucky enough to do just that, and have to say that flying first-class is pretty much as good as you might have imagined....

Let’s start at the beginning. We are not hugely rich, nor were we fortunate enough to be upgraded. Instead we became avid Avios collectors, culminating in enough points (and two for one vouchers) to fly across the Atlantic in style with British Airways.

[caption id="attachment_1953" align="alignnone" width="940"] The dedicated first class check in desk at Heathrow[/caption]

The experience begins at check-in. When you fly first class, there’s no need to stand in a long queue. Instead you have your own dedicated check-in desks.

Following this, you can go through a quicker security check – although we were disappointed to find that ours was full of other people flying in club or first class (who are these people?!). The check-in desk is right next to this fast-track security and it didn’t really take very long at all, so we can’t complain.

Before we knew it, we had headed through an innocent looking white door into the Concorde Lounge. This is a treat for those flying from Terminal 5 at Heathrow and it already brings back great memories!

[caption id="attachment_1954" align="alignnone" width="940"] Enjoying breakfast in the Concorde Lounge[/caption]

The Concorde Lounge is for first-class passengers only (those in club have their own lounge) and is a lovely place to relax before your flight. You can have a drink at the bar, read a paper, have a shower or even have a massage or facial (you can turn up and ask for this on the day at the Elemis spa). We didn’t try these out, but we did have some breakfast (free of course), consisting of poached eggs, toast, pastries, juice and more, in a private booth. All the staff were extremely friendly.

We went from the lounge to our flight and, because the plane was huge (it was an A380) we actually went on to the place through a dedicated entrance. This made us feel extremely important.

You can book first class seats way in advance, so we knew where we were sitting (near the back). We had also booked food for Robert in advance (he has food allergies), but have to say that they had mucked this up unfortunately as I had specifically asked if the vegan food contained soya (which he can’t eat) and was told it was all soya free. He was then given a dish with tofu  - which is...soya!

Anyway, that was actually a minor thing which he was not too concerned about, especially when there was so much more to be excited about, including unlimited soft drinks. Plus, all the staff were incredibly sweet with him (and kept telling us how sweet he was!)

[caption id="attachment_1955" align="alignnone" width="940"] Robert had a lot of soft drinks![/caption]

Once we were on board there was no rush to put luggage away in overhead lockers before others jostled around you for space: in first class you all get a little cupboard for your belongings and it even includes a hook for your coat or jacket. You also get an extremely comfortable chair plus instructions on how to use it, from increasing your lumbar support to making it recline. If you want to go to sleep, the staff will show you just how to go about turning it into a bed and give you a duvet (no scrappy thin blankets here) to keep you warm.

The screen and headphones in first class are excellent – as you would expect. The whole experience is also extremely comfortable and relaxing and almost feels as if you’re not flying (I am not sure how I will ever go back to economy, but go back I will...).

We were offered a drink pretty much as soon as we arrived and these were on offer throughout the flight, along with snacks (crisps, sweets etc). We were also given a delicious lunch and later tea (with scones and jam no less). I chose from the a la carte menu which had meat, fish and veggie options, plus wine, although you can also have a set five course tasting menu.

[caption id="attachment_1956" align="alignnone" width="940"] I enjoyed my lunch - note the silver cutlery and white tablecloth![/caption]

My choice was fish with a delicious cauliflower puree, followed by chocolate bread and butter pudding and I loved the fact that, when you are given a meal, your table is covered with a mini tablecloth and you are given silver cutlery. There is also no trolley service – everything is given to you from a tray.

Each passenger is also given a washbag, with different ones for men and women. Both contained the ubiquitous socks, eye mask, earplugs, toothbrush and paste, while mine also had a mini hairbrush and mirror, mini deodorant stick, hand lotion, eye serum, rose moisturiser, lipbalm and cleanser courtesy of Aromatherapy Associates . Robert and Brian’s extras were some shaving gel from the Refinery, lipbalm, a pen, comb, moisturiser and mini deodorant. Even better, we were given a pair of black pyjamas, emblazoned with the words “first class” so we could feel important at home too...

One of the joys of first-class is the space. You can lie back and not feel someone else’s presence anywhere near you. But if you do want to chat to a neighbour, you can push down your window and do so – as Brian and I did.

The flight went quickly and smoothly and set us up perfectly for our holiday. It was a real treat to be able to set off on our trip not just with no hassles, but to actually be spoilt. Now we need to start saving up those air miles again.....

READ OUR POST ON WHAT TO DO IN WASHINGTON DC - AND WATCH OUR VIDEO!

Read how British Airways describe first class