Flight Mode | What It’s Like to Narrowly Avert Disaster in an $18M Simulator

Modern airliners are incredibly safe.

For every 3.1 million flights,

there's only one accident.

In 2015, 136 people did die in accidents,

but you have to put that in the context

of 3.5 billion passenger journeys.

But if the worst does happen,

rest assured that no matter what the emergency,

your pilot is ready and has practiced

for this moment over and over again.

Pilots typically have to put in eight hours

every nine months in a simulator like this one,

which can cost $18 million each.

Today, we're going to fly one.

As we walk in, I can already see

that this is very realistic.

This is an Airbus A330 200 simulator.

That's a wide-body jet that can carry over 300 passengers.

Thankfully, they're not simulated to virtually judge me.

From the outside, these things may look like

a Star Wars 8018 with a nice, fresh coat of white paint,

but inside, they are nearly indistinguishable

from the real thing.

Even the view is convincing,

until you see it change from day to night.

Alright, so we can simulate

just about any kind of weather,

and George, if you could make it snow for us.

[Jack] Definitely the sort of conditions

that I would like my pilot to have practiced.

We have certain take-off weather minimums.

And at Boston here,

we probably have to at least see 500 feet.

We can demonstrate what that's like,

if you want to put the RVR to 500,

and show you this is all we would need

to legally take off on this runway.

[Jack] Six actuators provide a full range of motion

and the forces inside really do feel real.

You tilt the front up and suddenly you feel

like you're barreling down a runway and into the air.

It's fun, sure, but it's their ability

to simulate emergencies that's invaluable.

George, can you give us, say, an engine fire?

[Jack] Now I'm noticing it.

(alarm rings)

On the line we have an engine one fire indication.

Which one's that?

Alright, so engine one is this control,

this set of engines.

The one on your side?

Thrust lever number one, we would pull it back to idle,

following the steps, idle,

idle, engine master one off.

[Jack] OK, so once things are stable

we're going to, or actually, I'm going to try to land

this flight back at Boston on just one engine.

Alright, I'll tell you what, I'll help you just a little.

Pull back.

[Automated Voice] 30, 20, reach on, reach on.

[Jack] No, that's not the plane insulting me,

that's the automatic safety system

trying to keep us on course.

(laughs)

You did it. (laughs)

You did it, but I definitely felt like I was part of that.

My hands are clammy, I'm sweating.

It's so easy to get wrapped up in the idea

that a whole plane is depending on me to get this right.

A bit of weather on the way down,

and that was still a very gentle landing.

I don't think I would have even spilled my drink.

And then, of course, you turn around

and realize the whole experience was simulated.

But hey, that's the whole idea.