Wellbeing Group - 737 Fight Simulator Discussion and Demonstration

Flight Simulator Slots are filling fast, only 11 spots left for Wednesday's talk and demonstration so get in quick.

Good Luck!

This month we are very pleased to advise that one of our own Sheddies will be providing the monthly talk. Nick Bagshaw will provide us with the latest information regarding our very own 737 Flight Simulator and after the talk, there will be an oportunity for Sheddies to participate in a viewing of the simulator and possibly even a guest flight.

So far approximately 40 Sheddies have already had a flight in the Sim, so this particular demonstration is aimed at those who have not yet had an opportunity to experience the Sim. Since there is limited space in the Flight Sim room we really want to give the interested new people some exposure to the Simulator.

Below is some Flight Simulator information which Nick provided to the Flight Simulator Group late in 2024 for your information.

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It’s just over 2 years since the Shed was donated the Sim by Derek Froud. Since that time a huge amount of work has been done by key Shed members and external experts to get it up and running, with several challenging periods on the way. By May this year we did manage a reasonable form of routine operation, and since then a significant number of Sheddies have experienced a flight, or more, on it. For some it was a thrill, for others a challenge! But practice makes perfect, so keep on trying! The autopilot operation has been mastered, but use of the Flight Management Computer (FMC) to fully automate from takeoff to landing still presents some challenges in programming.

This week Mike Glasson and I have been doing some essential maintenance: the captain’s yoke requires attention and we found a broken cam in the Throttle Quadrant unit, which explains why we occasionally had problems in releasing the brakes to take off! Mike applied his usual inventiveness to make a replacement, and all is well!

Much work has just been put into applying to the Department of Veterans’ Affairs for a grant to enable us to upgrade the software licence to properly cover multiple users, replace computer 2 (on its last legs and running Windows 7) and getting a new set of pedals (rudder and brakes) for the First Officer. Stephen Keenihan spent much effort in wrestling with the complicated application form – well done! And we obtained letters of support from VIPs both within and outside the Shed. We should know the outcome by May next year, with the grant applying from 1 July. In the meantime the Sim continues to operate with minimal impact on the Shed’s finances.

We are now back on track after a torrid 5 days of problems with the Flight Sim. Last Thursday when Mike and David were running it the main power supply fuse tripped (for no obvious reason) and, after restarting, the main computer would not turn off so had to pull plug. Some serious damage. Since then Mike and I (with a lot of help from Les) have spent the last days working on the problem, not helped by trying to download replacement software and running out of internet download capacity! However, we were this morning able to replace the main hard drive with the clone we made last October (always back up!!) and the system is working again. Some tidying up to do this week but we should be ok for the Wellness session!

On the plan for the session I suggest that I make some introductory remarks (with slides) to set the scene, then Adem Samulski adds a few pertinent comments (so 15-20 minutes thus far) before we go down to the Sim. Mike is setting up another monitor on the wall to the left of the Sim, which will enable people to see action on screen. I'll start off as pilot and Adem as F/O, for a take off and circuit, then we'll invite members to sit in the F/O seat and try a take off. Not everyone will be able to do this on the night, but the message is: book a session with one of our four "trained captains" at a later date. And we can run another Wellness session in a few months time.

The above edited information has been provided by Nick Bagshaw as part of the discussion regarding this session.

Flight Simulator Group

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We also hope to have one of our Sheddies (Adam Samulski) along who is a retired 747 pilot who will also be able to discuss the 737 simulator from his perspective

Don't forget to stay a while after the talk to share in some .Shed fellowship with drinks and nibbles available and to participate in the 2025 inititive for a Door Prize for some lucky participant which will be drawn at approximately 5:45pm