We recently heard about a truly unique experience that you won’t find in many other places in Greater Manchester: the opportunity to jump on board a 747 flight simulator.
Located just down the road in the Salford suburb of Barton-upon-Irwell is The Deck 747, a fully-fledged flight simulator where you can not only get a little taste of what business class on the upper deck of the legendary Boeing aircraft but even hop in the cockpit and feel what it’s like to fly one for yourself.
Now, when we say fully-fledged, we mean it. This thing isn’t just like the game you see aviation enthusiasts playing on their computer with a few extra bells and whistles, you’re actually sitting in a real-life aeroplane — or a decommissioned one, at least, courtesy of operators Doors2Manual.
That’s right, situated within an otherwise unassuming old hangar at Barton Aerodrome (formerly known as City Airport), this lot got their hands on an old 747, literally sawed off the front half of the top deck and plonked right in the middle of the popular tourist destination for your enjoyment. And boy did we enjoy it.
Credit: The Manc Group
Upon walking in the front door, we almost had to take a step back when we saw a genuine quarter of a plane just sitting there right in front of us, with the entrance ramp lit up like we were about to go on holiday.
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Walking into the plane itself, we might as well have been because we were immediately transported to that place of excitement and anticipation you feel when you’re about to go on your jollies and all we were essentially doing was standing in a big tin can. Then we walked into the cockpit…
We don’t know about you but this is not something we’ve ever experienced before and it genuinely rendered us wide-eyed little kids.
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It isn’t just like you’re getting to glimpse behind the curtain into an already immensely cool and exclusive club, but with all the lights, dials and controls and so on, we felt like we had just stepped into the Millenium Falcon or something, it was that surreal.
A unbelievable flight simulator experience right here in Manchester
Not only are you using all of the real-life instruments that professional pilots spend years learning how to master, but you’re also getting a real insight into what it feels like incredible engineering that goes into building aircraft, and making use of a giant curved screen specially constructed by the team, they really do get as close to a pilot’s full field of vision as you can get without actually doing it yourself.
We did two flights, one short little trip from Manchester Airport to Liverpool and then a longer haul journey from Manchester to San Francisco. We can’t lie, we weren’t exactly naturals but, thankfully, our instructor Rod, a recently retired pilot with decades of experience was both helpful and fun throughout.
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He even let us try and fly under the Golden Gate Bridge because, again, we’re children and why the hell not? We did it by the way, it was just the landing part we weren’t so great at. In fact, we were so immersed that we were genuinely sweating when it came to bringing the bird back down.
It was beyond fascinating to try and learn all of the stuff pilots have to think about whilst flying these things and if there’s one thing The Deck 747 flight simulator does do is nail the details, right down to showing you where co-pilots would have a kip.
But as you can see, they do plenty more than that too, from selling some real historic gems and pieces of memorabilia from the gift shop to hosting birthday parties and even weddings.
Yes, some people love planes so much they’ve even get married here and more power to them.
The entire place is kitted out with authentic plane parts to the point that even the seats in the lobby area and the reception desk are built out of repurposed chunks of fuselage.
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Obviously, having a flight simulator right here in Manchester is the main selling point here but there’s still plenty more to be enjoyed for when you’re not being coached in the cockpit and it shows in the overwhelmingly positive reviews — virtually all of which are five-star. Well deserved.
Once you’ve completed your full flight sim experience and touched back down into reality, you can then pop just around the corner to watch some planes taking off and landing at the active City Airport, as well as people flying helicopters as other fanatics and more casual tourists enjoy the free entertainment.
There’s even the VG Bar & Grill right next to the runway, so you can sit and have a drink and something to eat as you watch the action or decompress after your taxing day pretending to be a proper pilot. Not quite as delicious as that first airport pint before a getaway but a very close second.
We honestly can’t speak highly enough of the couple hours we spent at The Deck 747 flight simulator over at Barton Aerodrome — the time literally and figuratively flew by (had to be done) and we wholeheartedly recommend giving it a try.
Whether it’s getting a voucher for a friend or a loved one, booking something fun with work or for a special event, it’s a great way to spend a day. You can find out more information about the whole experience, pricing and how to get in touch HERE.
Manchester Storm’s annual ‘Pride Night’ returns to Planet Ice Altrincham
Danny Jones
With 2026 marking not just the start of another competitive year for Manchester Storm but an opportunity for even more people to get into the growing craze here in the UK, our city’s resident team are bringing back their annual ‘Pride Night’ once more.
Returning for yet another edition, the local ice hockey outfit has been playing this particular themed match every year now for nearly a full decade, and while there are plenty of special fixtures throughout each campaign, few are quite as joyous and vibrant as the Pride game.
We’re used to the Manchester Storm fan base being some of the most wholesome and community-driven supporters in the region, be it through the beloved ‘Air the Bear’ meetings or gathering to pay tribute to late members of the backroom staff, and backing their LGBTQIA+ members is no different.
Announcing the date this week on social media, the club reminded matchgoers and others online “that hockey is, indeed, for everyone.”
Detailing the context around the game online, Storm wrote: “We’re showing our support for the LGBTQ+ community on Sunday with our Pride game, one of the big events in the Elite League (EIHL) calendar.
“Coming to the Storm Shelter will be Belfast Giants, and as well as sharing the message of inclusivity, both teams will also be sharing the ice for EIHL points.”
A classy gesture and reminder that there are, of course, always more important things than sport.
With just a few hundred tickets left, Planet Ice is close to selling out as it often does, and you can expect plenty from both sides to turn up in full colour.
In fact, lots of fans are already asking for replica editions of the unique Pride jersey designs commissioned specifically for the event to be made available to buy, as they have done previously.
Taking on the Northern Irish club at the weekend, this will also be the two sides’ first competitive meeting since the tragic death of a young Giant fan, with Manchester Storm paying their respects this month.
We have no doubt they will find another touching way to honour Blake on Sunday.
It’s this kind of togetherness that is helping make ice hockey in Britain such a well-engaged and fast-growing attraction at the minute – the Pride game is just one example of this.
Anyone who fancies grabbing tickets to the 2026 Manchester Storm vs Belfast Giants ‘Pride Night’ can do so right HERE.
We’ve found some of the best Chinese food in town – being served out of a snooker hall
Danny Jones
Yes, you heard us right: we’ve stumbled across one of our favourite new places for Chinese food just on the outskirts of Manchester city centre – it just so happens to be served out of a best-in-class snooker hall.
And that really is just the tip of the iceberg here.
Some of you may have heard about and/or seen it already, but we’ll admit we were a little late to the party when it comes to Club 200, a.k.a. the pool, snooker, darts, mahjong club and more, which has so many different things rolled into that it’s really more a Russian doll than a Chinese restaurant or sports venue.
The hook speaks for itself: a place where people spend just as much time practising with chopsticks as they do their cues, as it really isn’t a gimmick, as some pessimistic folk would have you think – the food is banging and so are the vibes in general.
Not only is this quite literally the best snooker club in Manchester – complete with everything from classic American billiards and Chinese 8-ball to king-size snooker tables that the Ronnie O’Sullivan has played and won on, to a special AI system you won’t find anywhere else – it is SO much more than that.
Whilst the backroom was packed with everyone from casuals to those looking to get their pro certification via the official Q Tour, and lads in the front were practising their arrows, as co-owner Simon admitted they get almost just as many darts regulars these days, a storm was cooking up in the kitchen.
It would be unfair to say this place doubles as a bar and restaurant, because we really couldn’t get over how well put together this menu was.
‘Café 200’s food offerings involve classics like fried rice and chow mein dishes, to the kind of sides you could expect from your local Chinese chippy, but it’s even more authentic exports that really impress.
For instance, the beef ho fun seemed to be a big hit with everyone; we loved the salty seafood udon as well (a great chew on those noodles), and we know plenty of people still searching for proper Hong Kong-style French toast – they might just find it here.
Speaking of the special administrative region, which has a twisting and turning but nevertheless rich culinary culture all of its own, that last dish had us hopping with joy.
You’re looking at baked Portuguese rice: a Macau speciality rooted in the region’s colonial history.
We’ve never quite had anything like it before, even in all of our years eating this kind of cuisine around the 10 boroughs, but we haven’t stopped thinking about it since.
And then there’s everything else they do, from karaoke and bingo nights to catering for birthdays and other functions, or even just serving as a cool, somewhat tucked-away spot to watch the footy and other live sport come the weekend.
You can tell this place has built up a real community over the last 18 months or so, and while the food speaks for itself, it’s the sheer abundance and variety going on that makes it especially charming to so many.
Speaking of jack-of-all-trade venues, we stumbled across a similar multi-talented one over in Salford not so long ago, too…
Danny Jones -
3rd July 2023 
