EALING residents will have the chance to 'fly anywhere in the world' tomorrow as part of a free flight simulation event that will be taking place outside the University of West London (UWL) on St Mary's Road tomorrow (July 22).

FlightPad is a state of the art 737 flight simulator that allows people to try their hand at 'flying' their very own plane and tomorrow that will be on offer for free.

Founder of FlightPad, Andrew Perkins, told Ealing Nub News: "The team here at FlightPad consists of pilots, air stewards, mechanics, aviation psychologists, people from all different parts of the aviation industry.

"We created FlightPad in order to pass on the fun and knowledge of flying to the next generation and make sure they're properly equipped.

"We wanted help people realise their dreams and help them have industry relevant skills by the time they join the aviation industry.

"At the same time, we wanted to give people from the local community the opportunity to try their hand at flying, even if that's not a prospective career choice, but just an experience they'd like to try."

FlightPad runs and manages the simulator on behalf of UWL, who uses it to help train their aviation students.

Members of the public will have the opportunity to give it a go tomorrow, as part of FlightPad's reopening following the pandemic.

Lucky participants will be selected via social media and will get to spend 20 minutes in the simulator 'flying anywhere they want to', guided by a FlightPad instructor.

Andrew, who's worked as a commercial pilot for the last 20 years, said: "With the current restrictions in place, people aren't able to go on holiday abroad as easily, so hopefully we can give them a 'staycation'.

"We'd like to help make people feel happier and brighten up their day."

People can also purchase different packages as part of the experiences FlightPad has on offer, such as learning how to take off and land, flying to any destination of your choice, or even having a business or first class experience.

Following FlightPad's reopening tomorrow, any Ealing residents who would like to purchase the business or first class experience going forward can use the promo code EALING20 and get 20% off.

The reopening event tomorrow will take place from 11am-3pm and will also feature free ice cream while people wait outside the simulator.