Sussex --
HOLLYWOOD legend Clint Eastwood may be a familiar sight on the red carpet, but Crawley residents will be shocked to learn he has directed a movie in the town.
Silver-screen stars Ewan McGregor and Burt Reynolds have also dropped in, while James Bond himself, Daniel Craig, left onlookers shaken and stirred when he recorded a scene here for Casino Royale.
Because, behind the dull exterior of the Manor Royal building – home to Virgin Atlantic's offices – lies a secret. The Base, as it is known, contains a staff training facility complete with fully kitted-out aircraft cabins, cockpit and arrivals lounge – which double as film sets for the cream of the Hollywood crop.
Nicola Hunt, training centre and events controller, said: "I deal with all non-Virgin Atlantic events – the film and photo shoots – people who want to hire The Base.
"In one of our training cabins, christened Miss Vigorous by our engineers, we had Clint Eastwood directing his movie Hereafter. And we had Silent Bob – Kevin Smith – in here too.
"In our other section, where we have an upper-class mock-up, Daniel Craig sat in the bar.
"Mr Craig was a very nice guy, but we didn't swap numbers. There was a buzz here, though. It's the biggest and most high profile shoot we've ever done here.
"We had Burt Reynolds here for the film A Bunch Of Amateurs. And Ewan McGregor did The Ghost. I love meeting and greeting them but I have to set a precedent, I never ask for any autographs.
"When they are here, you get the big Winnebagos parking up outside."
Nicola added that while her friends consider her bubbly and chatty, one of the A-listers left her like a tongue-tied teen.
She said: "I can't say who was my favourite. But I particularly enjoyed meeting Clint Eastwood. I've always looked up to him, and when I did meet him, and people say I'm rarely stuck for words, I developed a stutter and couldn't say my name.
"I had lunch with him in a trailer – we had beef Wellington. He didn't know what it was and I had to explain it to him."
Staff at Virgin Atlantic face a rigorous introduction to their new career in sets that replicate their high-flying place of work. But during their training, for ease of access and to keep costs down, the staff keep their feet firmly on the ground while they train for loftier things.Nicola Hunt, training centre and events controller, said: "We've got a cockpit for pilot incapacitation training. Two crew sit in itthe seat and we have to be able to administer first aid to them and remove them from their seats without touching any of the controls. "We've got seats where we practice restraint. Crew have to be able to restrain unruly passengers. We also practice using child seats and extended seatbelts for larger customers. "We have a smoke rig and evacuation rig. New crew do cabin safety in week one. It's real life, exactly as it would be on the aircraft, and we've got fake wounds in a box. The crew dress up – they are screaming and crying and 'unconscious'. It's true to life training. "And best of all we have a slide – the crew go down there once in their lifetime. If I had a pound for every time the crew wanted to go down again I would be a multimillionaire." Reported by This is 10 hours ago.
HOLLYWOOD legend Clint Eastwood may be a familiar sight on the red carpet, but Crawley residents will be shocked to learn he has directed a movie in the town.
Silver-screen stars Ewan McGregor and Burt Reynolds have also dropped in, while James Bond himself, Daniel Craig, left onlookers shaken and stirred when he recorded a scene here for Casino Royale.
Because, behind the dull exterior of the Manor Royal building – home to Virgin Atlantic's offices – lies a secret. The Base, as it is known, contains a staff training facility complete with fully kitted-out aircraft cabins, cockpit and arrivals lounge – which double as film sets for the cream of the Hollywood crop.
Nicola Hunt, training centre and events controller, said: "I deal with all non-Virgin Atlantic events – the film and photo shoots – people who want to hire The Base.
"In one of our training cabins, christened Miss Vigorous by our engineers, we had Clint Eastwood directing his movie Hereafter. And we had Silent Bob – Kevin Smith – in here too.
"In our other section, where we have an upper-class mock-up, Daniel Craig sat in the bar.
"Mr Craig was a very nice guy, but we didn't swap numbers. There was a buzz here, though. It's the biggest and most high profile shoot we've ever done here.
"We had Burt Reynolds here for the film A Bunch Of Amateurs. And Ewan McGregor did The Ghost. I love meeting and greeting them but I have to set a precedent, I never ask for any autographs.
"When they are here, you get the big Winnebagos parking up outside."
Nicola added that while her friends consider her bubbly and chatty, one of the A-listers left her like a tongue-tied teen.
She said: "I can't say who was my favourite. But I particularly enjoyed meeting Clint Eastwood. I've always looked up to him, and when I did meet him, and people say I'm rarely stuck for words, I developed a stutter and couldn't say my name.
"I had lunch with him in a trailer – we had beef Wellington. He didn't know what it was and I had to explain it to him."
Staff at Virgin Atlantic face a rigorous introduction to their new career in sets that replicate their high-flying place of work. But during their training, for ease of access and to keep costs down, the staff keep their feet firmly on the ground while they train for loftier things.Nicola Hunt, training centre and events controller, said: "We've got a cockpit for pilot incapacitation training. Two crew sit in itthe seat and we have to be able to administer first aid to them and remove them from their seats without touching any of the controls. "We've got seats where we practice restraint. Crew have to be able to restrain unruly passengers. We also practice using child seats and extended seatbelts for larger customers. "We have a smoke rig and evacuation rig. New crew do cabin safety in week one. It's real life, exactly as it would be on the aircraft, and we've got fake wounds in a box. The crew dress up – they are screaming and crying and 'unconscious'. It's true to life training. "And best of all we have a slide – the crew go down there once in their lifetime. If I had a pound for every time the crew wanted to go down again I would be a multimillionaire." Reported by This is 10 hours ago.