Have you ever wondered what it is like for Santa to make his landing on his sledge on a cold Christmassy night near the North Pole? If so, then the Virtual Jet Centre, near Newton Abbot, Devon, is providing clients with a perfect opportunity to find out!

For this month, the centre is running virtual flights to Lapland so people can get to have a birds' eye (or should that read reindeer) view of Northern Europe. The route is rumoured to be along the same flight path that Father Christmas takes as he delivers presents around the globe.

With the aid of a 737 flight simulator, the team can replicate all weather conditions, which means that they can even provide some magical Christmas snow to aid your flying experience as you swoop through the landscape of Finland.

The cost of the simulator, which is also used to train commercial pilots, is around quarter of a million pounds and is designed to make the experience exceptionally realistic. 

Captain Andy Wilkins, who is the centre's founder and who himself has nearly 20 years experience of commercial flying, explains the growing popularity of the Christmas flights which help to fuel children's imaginations and is also a perfect corporate gift for staff, “We flew approximately 20 of these flights last Christmas and they prove to be popular as they provide a unique perspective for flying through one of Europe's northernmost countries.”

The centre runs the simulated flights between Finland's airports for between one to two hours. There is a height restriction, based on age, which means it isn't suitable for children under the age of 12 - but that still hasn't stopped older children and adults enjoying the experience.      

“It is an unusual alternative for a Christmas present which appeals to a vast number of people as it is simply unique,” explains Andy, “it gives you a chance to fly from Stockholm to Lapland in the comfort of the simulator.”

The Virtual Jet Centre is currently celebrating have just won Bronze for “Artistic, Cultural and Learning Experience” at the prestigious Devon Tourism Awards Ceremony held in Plymouth on 26 November.

The centre, which caters for corporate and private clients, also saw its 100th client this year on the structured, focused, fear of flying course, which has helped people from all over the world increase their confidence as a passenger on a commercial flight. The Virtual Jet Centre is situated just off the A38 at Chudleigh.

For more information visit www.virtualjetcentre.co.uk