Yorkshire plane fanatic builds Boeing 737 flight simulator in his spare room

Craig Cullingworth decided to build a simulator of his favourite plane - a Boeing 737-800NG - after being gifted a flying experience for Christmas. 

He said: “I always wanted to be a pilot but at school I was told I wasn’t clever enough. My wife got me a Boeing 737 experience because she knew how much I wanted to do it.

“It was the best experience of my life and on my way home I was searching how to build one.

“I found bits and bobs all over the country and started building it in my spare room after work in a bid that one day I could get it flying. 

“About three months ago we did our first flight which I shared a video of on social media and gained lots of positive feedback. Even my seven-year-old daughter is obsessed!

“I couldn’t even download a programme on a PC but while building the sim I have taught myself how to code, adapt programmes and operate different control surfaces. I’ve spent the last two years learning as I’ve gone along.”

Now Craig hopes to share this with others by offering flight experiences as part of his business. 

He said: “Doing it at home is fun but there is only so many times you can fly around airports on your own in your spare room. It’s not a straightforward process and it is usually a two-man crew effort and you share the duties between each other. 

“My body shop is expanding so we will have more space for me to set up two or three simulators for people to use. I want to target pilots because they can do their training on these simulators.”

The simulator is programmed the same way as a commercial flight using pre-planned routes to fly in real time. 

The cost to buy a new Boeing 737 flight simulator is around £55,000 but Craig said he has spent approximately £25,000 building his using second-hand parts. Flight simulator experiences usually cost between £100 to £150 for 30 to 90 minutes of flying time. 

Craig said: “I’ve met people all over the country who have built their own flight sims but you tend to find they are retired pilots who build them and not people my age. The experience is so hands on that you won’t know if you’re any good at it until you actually give it a go!

“When I posted the video of my simulator on a Leeds Bradford plane spotters Facebook page I wasn’t sure how people would react but the response has been really positive.

“I put off posting it for three months because I was afraid of getting backlash. It’s the only social media post I’ve ever posted that hasn’t received negativity.

“I’m not entirely sure on what my next steps are but I am definitely hoping to get people using my simulator within the next couple of months. 

“As far as I know I’m the only person in Leeds doing this.”