earning your wings...

I love surprises...and an effective surprise is something you would want to experience again & again. This past Christmas, my mom surprised me with a special present. Along with my brother and my dad, she took us to a place that I would have never expected.


We went to the Flightdeck Air Combat Center in Anaheim, CA.

While I am not a pilot, I have to say that this is about as real as it gets to actually flying a real plane. Flightdeck is a fully functional combat jet simulator, where guests become pilots and live out there "Top Gun" dreams by taking to the sky and engaging in a dogfight with the other pilots around you.

The experience includes fitting yourself into a flightsuit and a quick briefing as to how to control the plane, maneuvering, weapon operations, and so much more. When I stepped into the main building, I was surrounded by full size cockpits sitting in front of large screens. Every pilot is completely closed into their cockpit, with the glass closed over year. Now all you do is pay attention to your commander, and enjoy the flight.

This was by far one of the coolest things I have ever experienced in my life. Our commander was quite surprised that me and my brother were able to shoot down several planes during the small amount of flight time. Normally, most people during a 30 minute mission would only shoot about 3 or 4 planes. The both of us shot about 12 each. It was quite a fierce competition.

This is a great place for a birthday, bachelor party, or just a place to live out your flying fantasy! Worth the money.