Flight Simulator

Have you ever dreamed of flying an F-15 Eagle? How about a P-51 Mustang or a Sopwith Camel?

The Pacific Coast Air Museum can provide the next best thing. Our flight simulator lets you get into the cockpit, take the controls, and fly a 3D virtual reality simulation of these and other planes.

Advanced pilots can even fly dogfights against simulated enemies or hook up with an aerial tanker. Let our friendly attendants know what you want and they’ll load the correct scenario.

Available Aircraft Simulations

F-15 Eagle
A-10 Thunderbolt II
F-5E Tiger
F/A-18 Hornet
Cessna 172
P-51 Mustang
P-38 Lightning
F-4U Corsair

Extra 540
High performance sailplane
Airbus 320
Boeing 747
DC-10
Lear55
Sopwith Camel

Hours

The Simulator is available Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday between 12:00 noon and 4:00 p.m. Simulator pilots are accepted on a first-come, first-served basis.

Price

Price is $5.00 for 15 minutes, in addition to Museum entry.

Not Just a Video Game

This is not a video game. This is an actual flight simulator with sound and vibrational feedback that mimics the actual flight characteristics of each plane. So when you fly the P-51, it will behave like a P-51. When you fly the F-15, it will behave like an F-15.

Don't Get Vertigo!

Those who have flown the simulator say the experience is thoroughly engrossing. The environmental feedback is such that you actually feel like you are flying a plane and not just sitting in a stationary simulator. One licensed pilot even experienced actual vertigo after performing too many simulated loops!

Your friends and family can enjoy your flight too. There’s a big monitor on the wall that shows everything the pilot is seeing in real time.

According to one PCAM member and Air Force veteran who helped build it, it’s the best flight simulator he’s ever flown. And he should know; he’s got over 3,000 hours in F-4 Phantoms, is a retired corporate pilot, is a test pilot, and has raced in the Unlimited class at the Reno Air Races. We tend to trust his word on such things.

The Simulator uses a commercially available simulation engine on a high-powered PC computer. You climb into the cockpit of the converted jet trainer (it’s a real aircraft fuselage) and put on the 3D goggles. An attendant will help you get started and can give you pointers and tips. You will see everything in 3D, right down to the aircraft-specific controls in the cockpit and the landscape whizzing past below you. If you look to the side and behind you, you’ll see the aircraft wings. If you look down, you’ll see the ground. If you fly too slow, you’ll stall and crash. If you pull too many Gs, your vision grays out until you ease up on the controls.