One of the world’s oldest B-747-200 simulators has found its final resting place at the Nehru Science Centre (NSC) in Worli. It is being readied for display in nine months in a specially built hall.
One of the world’s oldest B-747-200 simulators has found its final resting place at the Nehru Science Centre (NSC) in Worli. It is being readied for display in nine months in a specially built hall.
“Normal construction cannot stand a weight of over 370 tonne. We had to get a special space constructed for this display,” NSC director Anil Manekar told DNA. That, however, was the easiest part of what he described as “a humongous challenge in trying to preserve this representative of our scientific and technical heritage”.
The simulator has been used by Air India for training since the mid-1970s, when the wide-body Boeing 747s or ‘Jumbo Jets’ had become the rage. “As technology moved on, the first simulator soon found fewer takers,” said a senior member of the technical team overseeing its running. “Maintaining the simulator became a struggle as its parts became hard to find. The defunct machine was abandoned in early 2008 and a decision made to scrap it.”
The NSC heard of this and convinced the authorities to part with the simulator so that it can be displayed. “Not many of us are privileged to go into the cockpit and see the systems. We felt this will be the next best thing for people to get that experience,” said Manekar. “The authorities said they would give it to us, but the entire responsibility of dissembling, moving and assembling it would be ours. All they did was refer us to contractor S Desai who was willing to undertake this task.”
Moving the simulator was a slow process, as care had to be taken not to damage it. By the time it was taken apart, brought from the airport, and laid out at the new NSC shed built especially for it, it was mid-2009. The project then hit as a massive roadblock as Desai suffered a heart attack and died.
“I panicked as the dissembled simulator was lying around, occupying over 400 sq ft area without any hope of its ever being assembled now,” said Manekar. “It took eight months of frantic searching to find another man for the job, and it was finally put together.”
Now the dysfunctional mylar screens and the arduous task of checking its 5,500 bulbs in the display are being attended too.
“We want to have airconditioning and add audio effects to give it the real feel,” said the director, who has plans to have an entire aviation-based display in the same shed.
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