Flight simulator takes off at Creswell airport
CRESWELL, Ore. - Learning to fly a plane is certainly a difficult endeavor; cockpits are complicated, and there are a number of factors that could go awry mid-air.
But Creswell company TakeWING said they have the answer to training limitations: a simulator.
"The ability for us to do things that we couldn't do, or wouldn't do, in a real airplane," said TakeWING owner Dorothy Schick.
A big metal box in basically a hangar at the Creswell airport is the county's only full-motion simulator.
And it can simulate almost anything.
Engine failure; thunderstorms; night.
The simulator can do it all with the help of a computer.
The idea is to give aspiring pilots - or even seasoned pilots who need a refresher - experience on solid ground to keep them safe.
So does Schick think the simulator can make better pilots?
"Well, the industry is saying that's the case," she said. "Simulating a real engine failure right after takeoff, or in many airplanes, not being able to do a spin, and recover. That training, that procedural training, is something that we've been wanting to do."
Schick said using the simulator is cheaper than renting a plane. Plus, you can fly underneath the Golden Gate Bridge.
"The primary goal is to allow general aviation pilots the same safety ability that airline pilots have at a fraction of the cost. But if we can bring more people into aviation and enhance their experience this way, that's what we want to do."
