a man and woman in a cockpit of an airplane
Tupolev Tu-154 Flight Simulator

Flying a Tupolev Tu-154 Flight Simulator in Russia!

On my recent trip to Russia, my friend Alexander Mishin suggested I can fly on a Tupolev Tu-154 Flight Simulator near Vnukovo Airport in Moscow. The price is just under $60 per hour, it is a bargain and no brainer! I have never flown a Russian airplane flight sim before so of course I'd love to give it a try!

The simulator is located near Vnukovo Airport and used for both pilot training and during free time, it is available to public to use.

First I was given a basic lecture of the cockpit design of the Tupolev Tu-154 in classroom. The instructor speaks Russian and my friend Alex translate to English for me.

a large panel of a plane   a man pointing at a large board with a stick   a man standing in front of a large display of a plane  

The classroom have a flight engineer moudle and other instruments. There is also live ATC from this room.

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Russian model Ksenia also joins me in the classroom.

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After 20 minutes of basic familiarisation, we proceed to the simulator in the classroom behind. It has no hydraulic so it is static but everything looks so real just like a real Tu-154 cockpit!

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I follow the instructor's command and we took off and doing a large circuit then attempt for a go around. The cockpit is amazing real, with the standard green instrument panel and even come with its registration RA-85620!

There are huge differences in terms of design of the Tupolev when compare with Western Boeing or Airbus. The gear up/down is on the panel above head, so as the flaps..... There is live ATC in terms of communication!

a cockpit of a plane with a screen   a person holding a steering wheel   a man wearing headphones and holding a handle

Happy Landing

It was really difficult to land the Tu-154 manually. With the instructor's help, I sort of manage to land but we landed on the grass instead of the runway! I'm glad this is just a simulator. I'd not be smiling if this is the real Tu-154! 😀 two men in a cockpit   a man and woman in a cockpit of an airplane

Me holding a Tupolev Tu-154 checklist! It is really cool

a man holding a small electronic device

At the end of my visit, I was issued a flight simulator certificate to bring home with!

Overall, It was a lot of fun and provided good insight into Russian yesteryear aviation.

  a model airplane and a document

Sam’s Travel Hacks

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