“Once you have tasted flight, you will forever walk the earth with your eyes turned skyward, for there you have been, and there you will always long to return.” – Leonardo da Vinci
This quote sums up what every aviation geek goes through during the phase from getting introduced to aviation to getting hooked to it completely. From seeing the plane in the sky to seeing the ground from the sky and eventually getting interested in flying the plane is how the journey typically moves.
While a flight is now affordable and available aplenty across nook and corners of India, experiencing the cockpit is still out of bounds for most. This is largely due to regulations and rightly so. Some airlines allow kids to visit the cockpit while on ground and it is a rarity to get a chance to sit in the cockpit, touch the throttle and the yoke.
While it is impossible to visit the cockpit in the air, it is possible to do so on ground and experience the flight at Yoskies in Pune, which I visited with my daughter a couple of days ago. The young avgeek was thrilled and so was I, afterall who does not like the experience of flying!
Yoskies is located in Baner off the Mumbai – Bengaluru highway . Founded by Sqn. Ldr. Ajey Paranjape, a former Indian Air Force officer and supported by co-founder Air Commodore Sanjay Tillo along with Capt. Trupti Karnavat, the place is an avgeeks dream.
If there is one thing you notice when you enter, it is the simulator and the second? The warmth of the people – from the founders to the flying instructor and the background staff.
Who should visit?
Every avgeek who wants to experience flight should visit. There are various packages on offer, ranging from a joy ride – which I took, to a more formal training with either the Cessna or the Airbus A320. More details about the courses are available on their website, which can be found here. It will always be a good idea to call them and get the latest details.
A typical 1 hour session in the simulator, which is under guidance, will cost INR 1770 with taxes. One would get to sit in the pilot’s seat, understand the various instruments, fly a day or night sortie, attempt to land and take-off and do some circuit flying under guidance. These are very fundamental skills of flying but the hands-on experience hits you differently as compared to booking knowledge or seeing a video (or two) on youtube.
I also learnt that the software is FAA approved and the simulator has been used for training and preparing for pilot exams by many pupils who became successful. Additionally, the Airbus A320 simulator can be used for type rating practice to help prepare for airline interviews, understand flight controls and more.
If you are planning to take up flying, personally I would recommend having a session or two here to understand if your aptitude matches for the job before taking the exorbitantly priced jump into becoming a pilot.
How was the experience?
We reached a few minutes to our pre-booked time and were welcomed by the staff of Yoskies. The flying instructor was expecting us and the sim was free when we went. We opted for the Airbus sim – which can be configured to fly the Cessna apart from the standard A320 for which it is designed.
For kids less than 10 years of age, as in our case – the kid will have to be in the lap of the parent and the parent will have to help with the rudders – which was seamless in our case. The instructor will explain all the dials, what to look at, where to keep a keen eye on and the overall cockpit layout. Reconfirmed about everything, it was time to fly.
The flight started mid-air to get TD (The Daughter) handle the yoke effectively. A left and a right later, the girl was mesmerised by the flight, so much so that she did not want me to hold the yoke. This was the perfect time to introduce her to another axis – up and down. Sky was literally the limit as she pitched the aircraft up so much that we would stall.
It was time to take control from her and I (tried) navigating towards the approach funnel of the airport, which I did well. The real challenge started after that to remain steady, aligned to the centerline and drop altitude in control. Flaps lowered, engine thrust reduced but the PAPI (Precision Approach Path Indicator) lights alternated between WHITE and RED, when the instructor took over controls to stabilise and help with the approach – which was well stabilised and we (somehow) landed.
If you can walk away from a landing, it’s a good landing. If you use the airplane the next day, it’s an outstanding landing.
It was time to take-off again and hand over the controls to TD, where she promptly liked pulling the yoke towards herself and off we went into the air for another round of sight seeing, watching some nice scenery alternating between the sea and the sky.
Soon, it was time to wrap up the session, thank the team and have a great meeting with Sqn. Ldr Paranjape to understand his passion for the project and setup.
What else?
Don’t miss the MiG-21 joystick in their office and helmet on the mannequin which sports the IAF uniform which had been used in actual ejection by a pilot from MiG-27, safely.
How does this all stand out? The simulator is Made in India and a team of engineers are working to build more such simulators for clients in India.
How does one reach there?
Address: https://maps.app.goo.gl/8wM4fZ9B2Zu8JymP9
Do reach out to Yoskies if you want to enjoy the thrill of flying!
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