Fly in a Spitfire Air Experience Flights NO licence needed!

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18 years 4 months

Posts: 2,810

It appears that August marks the start of Uk air experience flights in Spitfires and others.Here is the first I have noticed taking advanced bookings..
http://www.aerolegends.co.uk/

Original post

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15 years 1 month

Posts: 197

Fly in a Spitfire Air Experience Flights NO licence needed!

This Sunday will see the launch of an exciting new venture at Headcorn Aerodrome which will provide the opportunity for the public to take air experience flights in a Spitfire, T6 Harvard and Tiger Moth. The Battle of Britain Flight Experience will be launched this Sunday with two Spitfires flying along with an RAF Tiger Moth. Eventually two Tigers and a T6 will operate at Headcorn with a two seat Spitfire flying in

Two Spitfires (single & twin seat) will arrive about 9.15am for the press launch with both aircraft flying hourly from 12 noon.

Air Experience flights start from the 1st July

www.aerolegends.co.uk

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20 years 7 months

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Have already e-mailed for info...!

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11 years 5 months

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Sounds almost too good be true..but I bet I can take a guess at the cost!:(

Member for

15 years 1 month

Posts: 197

Can you put a price on 20 minutes in heaven?

Member for

15 years 1 month

Posts: 197

2 Tiger Moths (G-PWBE, G-ANMO) with a 3rd under restoration (G-ANDE) Spitfire HF IX (G-CGYJ) with a 2nd under restoration (G-CICK) a Harvard & a Hurricane (yet to be registered) will be based at Lashenden (Headcorn) aerodrome when work is completed on their hangar space near the Lashenden Air Warfare Museum & the aircraft restorations are completed.

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17 years 5 months

Posts: 8,980

Surprised to see that the Spitfires will be carrying pax as I didn't think the rules have changed to allow it yet, I know it's in the works, but there is a difference between in the works and cut in stone..... I will believe it when it happens, but at the moment can they legally? Or it just everything else they can fly in?

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15 years 1 month

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Aero Legends are the first organisation to be given a dispensation in the UK to carry fare paying non pilot passengers

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24 years 2 months

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Would be nice to see some written confirmation to that effect...

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16 years 8 months

Posts: 88

I think I'll pop down the Rd to see what's going on. Will be bloody brilliant if this is true and great to see spits out of Headcorn on a regular basis. I'll try find out more details on potential spit flights as my name will be on that list tomorrow if that's the case.

The pilots are very experienced, ex and current bbmf, and perhaps this maybe the reason for the licence. They must have the application approved otherwise they wouldn't have announced it which suggests the relaxation is imminent.

Good times.

Member for

17 years 5 months

Posts: 8,980

Aero Legends are the first organisation to be given a dispensation in the UK to carry fare paying non pilot passengers

On the Spits as well? I see it's in the pricing, just surprised that's all as I was lead to believe nothing had been decided yet, if it has good, though as said above I think I would like to see it in writing before doing it.

Member for

16 years

Posts: 69

I think I might pop down,the Spits have been confirmed as PV202 and TD314 which I haven't seen fly before and there is a boot fair on there too so I'm going to give it a look.

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16 years 7 months

Posts: 564

Do you get a parachute to sit on?

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24 years 2 months

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I find it a bit odd that they are offering the chance to be airborne in the four historic aircraft. My prediction is that the single seater won't last too long in that role.

Or maybe you sit on the driver's knee?

Moggy

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24 years 2 months

Posts: 16,832

Having looked at the web pages it would seem that maybe the rules haven't yet changed as the Spitfire appears only in 'fly with' mode, or 'cost share'.

It is perfectly legitimate for an aircraft operator to fly equal split cost share. It is very definitely not allowed to advertise such flights.

The phrase 'flying close to the wind' springs to mind.

Moggy

Unless, of course, the website is updated after the 'launch'

Member for

11 years 5 months

Posts: 11,141

Can you put a price on 20 minutes in heaven?

Unfortunately you can!;)
Although it begins to look as though some gun jumping is going on......

Member for

15 years 1 month

Posts: 197

Just checked with Aero Legends and my earlier posting about having a special dispensation from the CAA was not correct. Sorry about that.

They said the following:

"As a member of their club customers become eligible for a cost share ride under the terms of the newly revised CAA rules on cost sharing. Aero Legends are offering such an opportunity under their Battle of Britain flight package."

Member for

18 years 4 months

Posts: 2,810

Theres an aspect of this cost share operation which puzzles me. Operating expenses are partly driven by airborne time which in turn adds time to the engine log time.So every flight reduces the time left on the engine and this must be accounted for in the costings. If the aircraft is not flying then this cost is absent. How therefore can the running costs of a warbird such as a Spitfire be helped by allowing cost share passenger flights ? Without a profit element the claim that allowing passenger flights will help the expenses of warbird owners seems pointless?

Member for

18 years 3 months

Posts: 2,025

I would have thought that flying along in your spitfire, going where you want to go, when you want, could only be improved by the notion that someone in the back seat is paying for the flight, and indeed several after!

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17 years 5 months

Posts: 8,980

This is how it stands at the moment

“Operators of historic aircraft in particular want to be able to offer more flights and make it easier to financially support their operations when doing so. Many haven't been able to because of the level and expense of the safety oversight currently required. Our proposals address this in what we think is a sensible way, building on what has worked successfully in other countries and ensuring that any passengers are aware of the level of safety and risk involved in their flight. The new policy is designed to ensure that third parties and non-GA participants are protected in line with the CAA’s statutory duties while delivering our new vision for GA."
The wider consultation builds on the recent GA Red Tape Challenge and the formation of the CAA's first dedicated GA unit and will define how the CAA regulates GA on a day-to-day basis.

Once in place the policy would provide a set of clearly defined and transparent guidance as to how the CAA would make decisions on GA regulation. The changes would potentially reduce regulations and requirements for many areas of GA, including operators of historic aircraft and air show organisers.

The consultation includes an outline of the policy process and an example of how it would be applied.
The CAA is keen to hear the views of anyone involved in or affected by GA, including members of the public who have any views on the proposals to ease restrictions on carrying fare paying passengers in historic aircraft.

The consultation can be viewed at www.caa.co.uk/consultations where details of how to respond are also provided. The closing date for responses is 31 July 2014.

More detail on the CAA’s GA activities and the work of the GA Unit are available at www.caa.co.uk/ga.

I seem to remember you can do it for flight training, or if you own shares in it, ie you are in a "club" where you all own part of the aircraft... But isn't the changes to address that, because the CAA were not Happy with it?

http://aerolegends.co.uk/bbfe.php

Member for

17 years 5 months

Posts: 8,980

Theres an aspect of this cost share operation which puzzles me. Operating expenses are partly driven by airborne time which in turn adds time to the engine log time.So every flight reduces the time left on the engine and this must be accounted for in the costings. If the aircraft is not flying then this cost is absent. How therefore can the running costs of a warbird such as a Spitfire be helped by allowing cost share passenger flights ? Without a profit element the claim that allowing passenger flights will help the expenses of warbird owners seems pointless?

Simply because sitting on the ground doing nothing it is burning a big hole in your pocket, multiple tens of thousands for insurance, maintenance, hangarage, crew currency etc, the flying part can possibly be the cheaper part of the whole operation bar fuel. If you can put a fare contributing punter in the back when you would be maintaining currency etc is a bonus.