Lightning Simulator

The Museum’s Lightning Simulator was formally opened by Air Chief Marshal Sir William Wratten GBE CB AFC FRAeS CIMgt on Thursday, 22nd July 2010. After appropriate briefing by the simulator project team, Sir William ‘flew’ a representative sortie and thereafter unveiled a plaque marking the occasion.

Developed and constructed by a small project team of Museum volunteers, the simulator is based on the restoration of a shell and associated parts of an original Lightning F1 simulator kindly donated to the Museum by No 1268 (Haslemere) Squadron, Air Training Corps.  Flying controls and flight instruments have been integrated with appropriate software and an add-on program whilst the ‘outside world’ is projected on to a wall to reproduce as realistic a Lightning flying experience as possible.

Terms are as follows:

• The simulator is available for ADULTS only.
• The simulator must be serviceable.
• A trained member of staff MUST be available to supervise the ‘flight’.
• Visitors must be able to enter and egress the cockpit without assistance. Egress requires a degree of upper body strength.
• Normal ‘flight’ duration is 15 minutes and pre-booked time slots are used.
• There is no additional charge to ‘fly’ the simulator but donations to assist in its maintenance are welcome.

TO BOOK A SIMULATOR ‘FLIGHT’ ADULT MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC SHOULD BOOK THEIR 15-MINUTE TIME SLOT WITH RECEPTION ON THE DAY. PLEASE NOTE THAT TELEPHONE BOOKINGS TO FLY THE SIMULATOR WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED BY THE MUSEUM.