This location is now closed with no re-opening date.
The following article is left as-is for historical and archiving purposes.
The Boeing Flight Simulator in Paris by Flight Experience
If you have ever thought about what it would be like to fly a plane, yet have never been able to take a flying lesson, a flight simulator is the next best thing, and whether you are a total beginner or already a qualified pilot, Flight Experience is a great option.
About Flight Experience in Paris
Flight Experience is a company that has centres, or stores as they call them, in different countries throughout the world, and one of these is located in Paris France, where you can enjoy the ultimate in flight assimilator entertainment, which first opened back in 2011.
So whether you are a complete novice or already a qualified pilot, there is a package and experience available to cater specifically for you, which is organised on a Boeing 737-800 flight simulator, and these have even been approved for Pilot training in the USA, although not yet in France.
Flight Experience in Paris also provides an option called the Airline Interview Preparation, which is designed to assist pilots in preparing for airline simulator assessments, with qualified instructors to aid you through the airline specific assessment profiles, which can give you the edge over other candidates.
Corporate events such as team building, incentives and seminars along with private parties can be catered for, whether you wish to have an entire day, an evening or a morning event, which can be organised for up to 30 people at any one time and even catering services can be provided.
These are available in English and French, always with qualified pilot instructors, and numerous options are available, all at different costs depending upon your budget, so you would need to contact Flight Experience for more details.
What Happens at Flight Experience in Paris
So getting back to the Flight Experience in Paris, where your enjoyment starts the minute you walk through the door and hand over your printed boarding pass for check in, as that provides your allocate date and time slot, just like you would have before boarding a real flight.
You then get to meet your First Officer who is also a flight instructor and real pilot, before having a pre-flight briefing, which is where this person will assess your expertise and what type of flight options are going to be suitable, so that you can get the ultimate out of your experience.
In this briefing there are over 24,000 different airports to choose from for your destination, which will be discussed and decided upon with your level of skill along with other options like weather and the type of terrain, or not for that matter!
So whether you are a beginner wishing to take off and land at the same airport in fine weather, do an international run, or go for one of the white knuckle airports for landing such as the Kai Tak runway in Hong Kong or the Innsbruck runway in Austria, many variants are possible for a thrilling and exhilarating experience, no matter what your level of expertise.
You will then get into the flight assimilator to become the captain and go through all the ordinary steps a true pilot has to take including learning the controls and instruments through to getting permission from air traffic control for take-off. Yet once airborne you do not have much time to enjoy the views as you are then prepped and ready for the task ahead which includes airspeed, altitude, other planes, etc, even before the landing takes place.
So as you can no doubt tell, this is an experience of a lifetime that many people will never get to do, and this flight experience can easily be catered for individual needs and requirements no matter what type of flying skills they have.
The Different Options at Flight Experience
There are numerous different options available for a flight simulator experience, and the most basic is the Scenic Flight option at €149 for 45 minutes, which is also referred to as a Discovery Pack, whereas the City Circuit options are 60 minutes long for €199.
Having now provided these flight simulator experiences to well over 120,000 people, the most popular package chosen is called the City Flyer, which is a duration of 75 minutes for a cost of €249 as of 2018, although there is the option called Ultimate lasting 105 minutes for a cost of €349.
However, if you want to enjoy this unique experience with friends, then you can opt for a 75 minute Multi City Flyer where you and up to two other friends, colleagues or family, take turns at the cockpit controls. And this is a cost of €269 as of 2018, or you have the Multi Ultimate option at 105 minutes for €369.
Visiting Flight Experience in Paris
You will find the flying simulator centre and its shop located in the 13th Arrondissement close to the Les Docks - Cite de la Mode et du Design on the left bank of the River Seine by the Pont de Bercy and almost opposite the Parc de Bercy.
The Flight Experience shop and centre is open from approximately 10am through to 10pm, however, we would like to point out that bookings do have to be made in advance. It is best to arrange this at least one month in advance due to its popularity and you can do this at the store itself or by telephone on +33 (0) 1 45 86 04 04 between the hours of 11.30am and 7pm. Alternatively, you can purchase a voucher online for yourself or as a gift for someone else, and then phone to arrange the day and time later.
Now as we have mentioned earlier, there is no experience necessary to enjoy one of the simulator sessions, however, they normally stipulate a minimum age of 10, but any child under the age of 16 must be accompanied by an adult. And even if the flight experience is only booked for one person, an additional two people can sit behind you in the simulator for no additional charge.
When it comes to getting to the Flight Experience store with the network of public transport in Paris, you will find that the nearest Metro station is the Quai de la Gare stop via line 6, or a little further walk in the opposite direction you have the Gare d’Austerlitz stop serving lines 5 and 10.
Yet the Gare d’Austerlitz train station also serves the TER, Intercities and RER trains via the RER C Line as well. However, the bus line 89 will also get you close by, but if you have your own mode of transport, then you may be pleased to know that there is a public car park only 100 metres away.
