Enter the world of virtual rotary aviation with a session on this helicopter simulator! This impressive Lynx simulator is certainly one of a kind in the UK and offers you the chance to take off hover and cruise in a military helicopter – without ever leaving ground.
Based just beyond the perimeter of RAF Mildenhall between Ely and Bury St Edmunds this military helicopter simulator feels very much at home here. The site is owned and run by ex SAAF airman Kenneth Mockford who has dedicated many thousands of hours recreating aircraft to operate as simulators. And this heli sim is an actual ex military Westland Lynx chopper as used by the Army Air Corps. In fact if you google XZ195 Lynx (its registration number) you’ll see lots of pictures of this helicopter in service.
Built in 1978 as an AH1 series Lynx (that’s AH for Army Helicopter) she served with the Army Air Corp until transferring to 655 squadron in Northern Ireland having been converted to an AH7. By July 2009 she was with 672 squadron at Dishforth before being withdrawn from service and broken for spares. In steps Kenneth who starts his project to turn the shell of the Lynx into a fully working military helicopter simulator.
And today XZ195 is incredibly realistic. Many of the functionality and systems are fully working and just as they were when she was in active service albeit minus a few systems as Kenneth tells us they are still classified military secrets! It’s pretty amazing to think that when you’re sitting in this helicopter enjoying your simulated flight the machine has clocked many many hours in the military. The Lynx were familiar sights in the air during the likes of the Falklands War the Northern Ireland troubles Iraq and even as part of NATO interventions in the Kosovo war.
Nothing so scary on your helicopter simulator session thank goodness but you will be finding out just how powerful and agile these Lynx are. As soon as you’re harnessed in and ready in your pilot seat reach up and grab your headphone intercom set and get ready to haul this mammoth of a military ‘copter into the air – virtually of course!
