A CLOSE ENCOUNTER WITH SALT LAKE CITY

摘要

The first thing you notice is the noise: it's the evocative sound of an aircraft getting ready for take-off, the sound of business trips and holidays. Any second now a member of the cabin crew will open the door and offer me a coffee. I glance around the cockpit. From the critical flight controllers to a torch for emergencies it's an unerringly detailed replica of the real thing. Taking my place in the captain's chair I get my first proper look out of the window. The view is of Salt Lake City airport bathed in late afternoon sun. I pinch myself, and remember that just metres away white-coated technicians are scurrying about the Thales simulation facility in Crawley. We begin to trundle down the runway -as we gather speed the pod tilts back and, combined with a view of the tarmac rushing towards me, creates an utterly convincing sensation of acceleration.