'Beyond amazing' simulator shows our centuries-old fascination with flight will never die

On September 27, 1507, King James IV’s alchemist, John Damian, made an early entry into the history of human flight. After fashioning a pair of wings from birds’ feathers, he declared his intention to fly to France, climbed to the top of Stirling Castle and jumped off... only to land on a heap of dung 70ft below.

We may laugh at such amateurish optimism. However, we owe a debt of gratitude to Damian and other death-defying pioneers of flight for the ability to travel across the Atlantic in a few hours, go skydiving, or buy a session piloting a Boeing 737 in a flight simulator in Renfrewshire as a Christmas present for that hard-to-buy-for relative.

Ascent Aviation's flight simulators are used by pilots in training and modern-day enthusiasts | Ascent Aviation

The latter may sound mundane to some but flying remains a wonder for many, and it’s just been revealed that Ascent Aviation, for real pilots and enthusiasts alike, has the highest Tripadvisor rating in the UK, with a 98 per cent approval score. “It was beyond amazing,” said one user.

Damian – who survived, blaming the accidental inclusion of some chicken feathers in his wings for his failed take-off – would surely have been delighted.