AI generated image of the mobile simulator concept.
Through the magic of AI, I created this scarily realistic looking image of a Cessna 172 flying in formation with a black truck that looks an awful lot like ours to represent our vision for the mystery cargo trailer that’s been hanging out in our hangar. Dana and I are hard at work developing Version 2.0 of our mobile flight simulator service, which will feature the Elite PI-235 AATD.
Why put a flight simulator in a trailer? Well, way back in the day, when Dana and I were living in the Washington, D.C. area, we put the original Elite PI-135 BATD in a Honda Odyssey minivan and dubbed it “The Sim-Mobile.” Here’s a link to an article about it that AOPA Pilot magazine published in 2011.
The concept is simple and is as true here in Jacksonville today as it was 15 years ago in Washington: Make flight training as cost effective and as convenient as possible for the customer. Dana and I moved from D.C. to Jacksonville in 2013 and have seen the population of this town explode, similar to what I observed in the D.C. area during the “dot-com boom” in the late 2000s. With more people comes more traffic, and we hear that from our customers all the time, especially those who commute to Craig Airport from outside Duval County.
Our plan is for the sim trailer to live in our hangar most of the time, where it will serve as a standalone office complete with air conditioning. Several times a month, we’ll take it offsite to other airports, fly-in communities, business locations or private residences to make sim training available to more people. The trailer will also feature a customized Microsoft Flight Simulator workstation where pilots can learn the unique flight characteristics of ultralight aircraft. If you’re interested in having us bring the trailer to your location, please contact me!