Flight Experience

A panicked flight attendant rushes out of the cockpit, «The pilots are dead, can somebody fly this plane, and land it?»
A passenger yells back, «Surely you can’t be serious.»
The flight attendant replies, «I am serious… and don’t call me Shirley.»
It is a situation that occurs more often than you would expect (well technically, as often as you would expect). Regardless, if you are a nervous flyer or an aviation buff who points out the different planes flying overhead to a very bored significant other, it would be good to know what to do next.
The simulator doesn’t move and the graphics are around XBox 360 quality, but the cockpit and controls feel very real (it is partly CASA certified). As you go through the procedures there is more than enough going on to keep you immersed and the instructor is a commercial pilot who provides clear and precise instructions, as well as a helping hand if it all gets a bit too much.
Throughout the session you can takeoff and land at various airports around the world (I recommend Kai Tak in Hong Kong) and in different conditions. The experience isn’t particularly cheap, but does make a good present, and there is space for a second person to sit in and watch.
Anyway, in the event of an emergency, the checklist looks something like (this is from memory several months later): Landing gear down, flaps at 30°, auto brake armed, speed 145 knots, bring the nose up at 50 feet, touchdown and apply reverse thrust. It might not be perfect, but I think you could walk away from that landing.
As you walk away you can be safe in the knowledge that in the event of an emergency you are more competent behind the controls than an Air France pilot…