Long shot – Flying with Spitfire Experience

So, looking for a 70th birthday present for my dad I came across this:

Home Shop

Looks ideal but has anyone done this – is it worth the money?

Thanks all

Danny B

Paying a lot of money to fly NEXT to a Spitfire doesnt sound good value .You make as well go to an airshow and look at them

Not been up but see it flying around all summer, looks wonderful and makes the best noise.

Used to fly out of a farm airfield and went a few times to see it, really wonderful, although does make you jump when you are driving down a country road and next thing you see is a spitfire just over the hedgerow coming into land!

@Edric – Oh I don’t know. You can’t actually be a passenger in a Spitfire, even the two seat ones as a rule. Certainly not Joe public trying to pay for a seat.

To be up in the air flying next to one would be magic IMO IF the experience is as it says on the tin so to speak.

I considered this for my Dad’s 70th this year. In fact I asked the stw hive mind for ideas…
http://singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/recommend-me-an-amazing-present-for-my-dad

I phoned up one of the spitfire places and concluded it sounded fun but was far too much money for 20 mins. And we (his kids) wouldn’t be able to enjoy it with him either. He would be sat in a helicopter full of other dads on their 70th.

Instead we ended up hiring a Morgan for a weekend which was a blast. I also booked a tour of the Morgan factory as a backup gift if it rained. cost about £400 all in if I recall.

I know they make a magical sound I remember the battle of Britain flight passing over my Grans house years ago but it seems loads for what you get.I know you cant go up in one and I suppose the money you pay helps to keep one in the air ,its just lots of money !!

Did the same search for something for Dad’s 90th 2 weeks ago.
As an ex Hurricane pilot I thought of the tandem Spit or even a Tiger Moth (he trained in them) but all very pricey or becase a bit twitchy when they knew his age – he’s very fit for 90 BTW.
We also had the family inclusion discussion so we are off for a weekend at Duxford on Friday.
Some nice ideas in that thread though.

Thanks all – will be split between 4 of us so price is manageable.

I will have a look at the other thread – like the idea of the Morgan experience also.

Cheers

Danny B

EDIT – I like the look of the Lancaster Taxy Experience also – very tasty…

If you can’t FLY why not hire an ex-MOD Landy from Kankku in Windermere and take him on a greenlaning safari around the South Lakes? His wheels won’t leave the ground but he will feel comfortable because he’ll be driving a piece of 1940s technology built in the same way as a Spitfire out of rivetted aluminium!

Not been up but see it flying around all summer, looks wonderful and makes the best noise.

Except when the Merlin is being drowned out by the heli’s of course. Which is what it sounds like up here most of the time as the fly over hawkinge and capel. Repeatedly.

Ideally you’d want to get pater into a 2 seater but I’m not sure it’s possible in this country. I have sen experiences where you fly alongside in another vintage aircraft such as a tiger moth.

I wouldn’t want to fly alongside in a heli like they do mostly here. It would be more fun in another plane especially a tiger moth 🙂

If he is interested in a Tiger flight, they run one out of Sheffeild Aero Club and it does the Dam Busters run over the Derwent reservoirs.
http://www.sheffieldaeroclub.net/tiger-moth-flying-lesson.html

@CaptainS – thanks for the heads up. Seen they do a flight in a De Havilland Dragon Rapide from Duxford along side a Spit. Worth investigating

@RtC – looks good also.

Will speak to the siblings and see what they think (being girls though they probably won’t have a clue what I am on about! 😉 )

Cheers

Danny B

I appreciate the Spitfire is pretty iconic but if you are willing to consider other planes there are some great options out there. This looks quite fun: http://www.buyagift.co.uk/Flying-Experiences/Introductory-Flying-Lesson-in-a-De-Havilland-Chipmunk-BR-10425642.aspx. The Chipmunk is used for training so is very easy to fly. The FiL has one and regularly gets people doing acrobatics on their first go. I’m sure he could just have a joyride if he doesn’t want a go. Or this Tiger Moth.

Where are you Danny ?

I think one of those near me flies out of lydd and takes in a chunk of the kent coast and possibly the the estuary. They do a spitfire or hurricane.

I mostly see it with heli’s, even as a local I’d travel to duxford or elsewhere to fly alongside in a plane. Heli’s are ok but I’m sure the noise and the fact that its a heli will significantly change the experience.

You’ve got me looking now and the tiger moth tour is looking good 😀

This looks quite fun: http://www.buyagift.co.uk/Flying-Experiences/Introductory-Flying-Lesson-in-a-De-Havilland-Chipmunk-BR-10425642.aspx. The Chipmunk is used for training so is very easy to fly.

Christ, we used to fly in Chipmunks as 14 year old RAF Cadets. Wouldn’t pay £120 for the privilege of 20 mins in the air though. They’re very easy to fly – hell if I could do loop the loops and barrel rolls in them aged 14, anyone can – but they’re a bit shit and uncomfortable.

Towards the end of my time in the cadets, they were switching from Chipmunks to Bulldogs which were far better – more comfy, more powerful and much better visibility from the cockpit.

Get in touch with Goodwood.
Two x two seater Spits, a Single, Tiger Moth, etc
Mitherill racing have the Tiger Moth
The Spits are the ones used in the fighter school tv program

You can pay to go up in an at6 texan/harvard in this country as the particular plane was initially registered as a civie.

Its as close as you will get to being able to do a spitfire conversion course without a pilots license.

Unless the rules have changed…you wont get a ride in a warbird unless you get offered one for free, like I once was.

Flown in a tiger Moth and it was awesomely incredibly unbelievably excellent. Pilot sits in rear seat, front seat was for gunner, and the cockpit is open so it’s all noise and wind. Looping the loop in an open cockpit is still about the most exciting thing I’ve ever done. As lovely as the spitfire is, and as amazing as it would be to fly alongside one, i would definitely go for the Tiger Moth as it’s an experience to be experienced, not watched.

Gunner in a tiger moth?

Eh

I’d go with the spitfire given the choice….if you got offered a ride in it, theres nothing like doing 350mph at low altitude then going up into the vertical. Not if you are just flying next to it though.

The problem with flying in warbirds in this country that the owners of these aircraft aren’t allowed to take fare-paying passengers. The only way you could fly in, say, a two-seat Spitfire would be be to become a part-owner. Now there are some that allow you to become a short-term part-owner but the cost is mahoosive. With a capital MAHOOSIVE!
And there are only a couple of two-seat Spitfires in the country.

There are one or two other types where you can work for them as a volunteer and earn the right to fly as part of the crew (as I do on a Catalina).

I did notice at RIAT this year that you can pay to fly on the Breitling Constellation, it’s based in Switzerland. That might be on my next ‘big’ birthday list.
Or you could go to Canada and fly on Buffalo Airways’ DC3 scheduled flights out of Yellowknife. That’s on my list too.

Oh, I seem to have gone off at a tangent again ….

I believe that you can pay to do conversion courses though, without part owning the aircraft.

The course costs about 40 grand.

Presumably you need to be a pilot to start with, in order to do a conversion course ?

rogerthecat – Member
If he is interested in a Tiger flight, they run one out of Sheffeild Aero Club and it does the Dam Busters run over the Derwent reservoirs.
http://www.sheffieldaeroclub.net/tiger-moth-flying-lesson.html

That is quite often on Groupon a bit cheaper although dates and times might be limited, check Sheffield, Notts or Derby Groupon pages, admittedly not seen it for a few months so may be a summer only offer, I did keep meaning to go for it but never got round to it, if it comes around again will definitely snap it up