The fastest bus on Earth
Over the last six years or so, I’ve been lucky enough to tag along with some of the most incredible automotive journeys you could ever imagine. Everything from tearing through a world rally championship stage in Tuscany behind the wheel of a newly launched Porsche, to taking a de-restricted 507hp BMW M6 around the famed Nurburgring, to driving a modern day Formula One car on an official testing track in the south of France. Nirvana would be a close enough description, but I remember blasting past that place as I called up third gear in the F1 car.
It’s been a wild ride all right. Yet as enthralling as all of that may very well be, none of it would prepare me for what I was going to test drive next.
As I buckled up and adjusted my seating position, staring at the intimidating panel of switches and flashing lights that surrounded me, I couldn’t help but be reminded of how lucky I was – especially considering that every person before me had to undergo 10 months of full-time study just to be able to sit where I am and do what I was about to do. Needless to say, my 30-minute training program started to seem a little, well…cute. “It’s mostly mental, don’t worry.” My instructor assured me in his mild French Canadian accent. “Just concentrate. And don’t panic.”
“No worries, Victor,” I said, giving him the overly used thumbs up signal. “Piece of cake, man!” I finished off, mentally kicking myself for being so damn cliché and professionally generic.
I wanted to come up with something more profound or witty, but there was so much to think of. I had just come from an intense briefing that covered everything from the complex starting sequences to cutting off the fuel supply in case of emergency, to operating the reserve brakes should the main brakes fail – yet for some reason, I couldn’t remember a single word of it as soon as I gazed out at the 3.8 kilometer stretch of smooth, empty asphalt that lay ahead. So I said a short prayer instead.
It wasn’t fear that was gripping me, but more the “I-am-not-worthy” feeling that was leaving me incredibly humbled and making me feel like I had two left feet. I had never handled anything this powerful before and the anticipation was starting to gnaw away at the pit of my stomach. There was no opportunity for a test run, either, so it all came down to this one moment. I released the parking brake and teased the throttle slowly – rousing up the rumored 36,000 horsepower or so behind me. Then all hell broke loose. Before I could even come to grips with what was happening I was hitting over 200 km/h.
210, 220, 230, 240, 250…The thrust was relentless. And the rate of acceleration after 200 was completely staggering. I was piling on the speed faster than I could count it, which is hardly surprising considering I was told I was capable of hitting over 900 km/h. But as quick as that may seem, all of a sudden, even that figure felt conservative. As soon as I hit 270 km/h I felt the front wheels lift off the ground. That was the last thing I remembered before the crash. Then everything just went black.
“Let’s try it one more time.” The Captain’s voice crackled through the radio. “Concentrate a bit more. And please, try not to hit the mountain this time.” Somewhat embarrassed, I just laughed nervously and apologized. “If your eight year old son could do it, for crying out loud, you really have no excuse. Now focus!” he continued, as he poked a few buttons on a LCD screen and hit the reset button.
I was flying the new Airbus A320 on an 11-million dollar simulator up in the state-of-the-art Clark Aviation Center in Pampanga – and yes, my 8 year old was not only able to take off successfully but was also the first person to be able to land the sucker. All while playing his Gameboy in his free hand. And he hasn’t shut up about it, either. Damn this Playstation generation.
I may have done a lot of test drives before, but this was by far the most surreal. I know it might sound like one big video game but trust me, it doesn’t get any more hi-tech than this. Built as an exact replica of an Airbus cockpit, the 13-ton machine sits in its own custom built, air-conditioned room that sucks up 450,000 pesos a month in electricity alone. It uses an advanced, 220 degree, wrap around projection screen as a windscreen and sits on top of a very complicated and seriously expensive hydraulic system that can simulate every movement with pin point accuracy. The only sensations it cannot duplicate is the actual moment of impact (thank God for that) and the rapid change of cabin pressure felt during an immediate loss of altitude. Other than that, it’s the real deal.
It is so authentic and detailed that it wasn’t until I reached the car park did I realize that I had lost my camera bag. Wow, a lost baggage simulator, too! What will they think of next? I tried to convince the team to go the whole nine yards and develop a mile high simulator while they were at it. They could call it “The Stimulator”, but I digress.
With only 40 full-flight simulators in existence around the world, pilots from all over the region are lining up to train and get their wings, so to speak. And because the Airbus 320 simulator mirrors their current fleet, it has also been adopted as the official training center for all of Cebu Pacific’s pilots.
As one of the pioneers of the new Multi-Crew Pilot License programs, Clark Aviation was able to design an integrated 12-month residential training program that can effectively take a regular Joe off the street and return him as a fully licensed commercial co-pilot after his year is up – which, if you consider how it was done before, is rather remarkable.
This probably explains why even at US $75,000 a pop, the firm has struggled to keep up with demand. With over 200 live-in students on campus, resources had become so stretched that the simulator needed to run an average of 20 hours a day and up to 24 hours a day during the busier weeks. This led them to invest in another simulator to ease the burden and accommodate even more pilots.
But don’t worry; if you’re one that just wants to scratch that itch of being able to fly a modern day commercial jet, Clark Aviation has started to offer 1-hour joy rides for people just like you. For $1,000 you can experience the incredible feeling of flying an Airbus 320 – including full take off and landing and expert instruction from qualified pilots. It may sound like quite a chunk of change for an hour’s fun, but never before has anyone ever offered anything even remotely similar to this; it is as close as you can get to the real thing and is something that anyone who has ever dreamed about flying should do at least once in their life.
For a frustrated pilot like me, it was a chance to live the dream. Even for just an hour or so. Everything may me be completely virtual, but believe me, the feelings are completely real.
Here are some of your Backseat Driver comments and questions from last week…
About the elevated U-turn that the MMDA is going to build, I hope that more of those will be built on
Is Mitsubishi releasing the Fuzion manual transmission? – 09228117358 (We consulted our contacts over at Mitsubishi Motors Philippines. Their official statement is that right now there aren’t any ongoing plans – but they have not closed the door on the possibility.)
How could motorists respect enforcers when they see how jeepney and trike drivers freely violate every road rule out there? – 09178459239
Speak out, be heard and keep those text messages coming in. To say your piece and become a “Backseat Driver”, text PHILSTAR<space>FB<space>MOTORING<space>YOUR MESSAGE and send to 2840 if you’re a Globe or Touch Mobile subscriber or 334 if you’re a Smart or Talk ’n Text subscriber or 2840 if you’re a Sun Cellular subscriber. Please keep your messages down to a manageable 160 characters. You may send a series of comments using the same parameters.)
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