Strap yourself in
Even with The Note’s limited experience in the cockpit, when news came over the tannoy that a flight simulator was for sale we were quickly reaching for the sheepskin jacket.
Up for offer is a replica Boeing 737-800 cockpit, something of a rare item in Perth, one would think.
The simulator is part of a business called Flight Experience, which offers simulation to paying customers seeking to discover what it is like to be in command of a few hundred tonnes of metal and the fragile lives of their human cargo.
Business broker GMO has landed the opportunity to sell the Northbridge business after local franchise founder Scott Phillips (pictured) accepted an offer to return to the corporate world in the US.
The asking price is $675,000, which sounds reasonable given what a real 737 might set you back these days.
GMO says the Flight Experience operation currently operates as a semi-managed business and therefore lends itself to comfortable part-time hours from an owner-operator. It could also be converted to a fully managed business.
The business caters to the general public visitors, as well as offering a unique setting for corporate entertainment or team building. The company has also recently successfully launched its ‘Flying Start Program’ – making Flight Experience a venue for school excursions.
The company claims a high rate of repeat customer and word-of-mouth bookings achieved.
The Note reckons there are only so many magnates in Perth that have the kind of cash to buy the real thing, so this might be the perfect alternative for the next tier of corporate player.
Tally ho, we say.
Unchain my heart
The Note is a little wary of the dangerous habit of importing curious customs from overseas for local consumption.
As we all know, the impact of introduction can be unexpected due to the possibility of change to the existing environmental balance. It’s why the Soviets didn’t like blue jeans.
So when the Bell Tower offers to sell Valentine’s Day lovers a $25 padlock inscribed with their initials and attached permanently to a chain, The Note fears the worst.
Let’s hope so-called Love Locks, allegedly a Chinese tradition (no doubt invented by some security device manufacturer), don’t improve on the moderate success of a previous invader, their cousin the bike lock.
These earlier invaders (possibly from Amsterdam or Seattle) seem adept at slipping away from their host vehicles and permanently attaching themselves to all manner of public infrastructure. They can even be found at Rottnest, formerly a bastion of free ranging bicycles.