CONTENTS
- PRE-FLIGHT BRIEFING
- TYPES OF AEROPLANE FLIGHT EXPERIENCE
- WHO CAN PILOT A PLANE?
- THE BEST PLACES TO FLY A PLANE IN THE COUNTRY
PRE-FLIGHT BRIEFING
What is a light aircraft?
We’ve all travelled on commercial airliners, but the experiences we’re talking about here don't feature Boeing 737s and Airbus jumbo jets. Instead, budding aviators in the UK will fly in a light aircraft, typically with two or four seats and a wingspan of 10 to 20 metres. Most of these flying machines are powered by a propeller and feature simple layouts and control systems.
The biggest manufacturers of light aircraft since the latter part of the 20th century are Cessna and Piper. Both produce two and four seat models with similar specs, the main difference being that the Cessna have high-wing designs, with the wings sitting above the cabin, while Piper models favour the low-wing configuration. Other manufacturers whose planes can be found on British tarmac include Robin, Diamond and Mudry. Then of course, there are historic planes, flying machines of yesteryear that have been preserved by their owners, such as the classic de Havilland Tiger Moth biplane or the legendary Second World War fighter, the Spitfire. For a more detailed list of light aircraft available for flight experience in the UK, check out our plane and simple guide to the kinds of aeroplanes you can fly in the UK.
A subclass of light aircraft is microlights or ultralight aircraft, planes that put a premium on light-weight design. There’s no universally agreed upon definition of the weight limits of this class of plane, but in the UK it covers a number of different kinds of craft. There are microlights that look pretty similar to other light aircraft, with wings, closed cabins and standard landing gear. Then there are strange-looking machines that combine a hang glider wing with an open cockpit that resembles a motor tricycle.
How does an aeroplane work?
Whatever the exact design and specifications of the plane, the same principles govern its flight. The propulsion system, e.g. the propeller, makes it move forward, the design of the wings create lift, and changing the tilt of the plane facilitates movement in three dimensions. We recently published an accessible introduction to flight theory on this blog, in an article titled So you want to be a pilot? Here’s how to fly a plane.
TYPES OF AEROPLANE FLIGHT EXPERIENCE
The process of organising a flight experience
There are a number of different experiences on offer at flight schools and aviation centres around the country, but certain elements are common to all. Crucially, your experience will be private and personalised to you. In advance of the big day, you’ll be asked to supply details of your height and weight, and that of any other participants. The experience will be confirmed directly to you either the day before or on the morning of the flight when weather conditions have been assessed. Finally, you’ll be met in person by your pilot at the airfield, airport or aerodrome, a far more intimate welcome than you could expect on a commercial flight!
Pleasure Flights
The sensations of soaring through the skies in a small plane and the sights you get from the cabin are truly thrilling. That’s why a pleasure flight is highly recommended as a way to mark a special occasion, to do something different and memorable or to get a unique perspective on an interesting part of the UK. You, alone or with one or two companions, will travel as passengers, with your personal pilot taking care of the flight and acting as a tour guide. Most light aircraft have large windows, so visibility is excellent. You’ll be able to see a great deal, from the detail directly below you to distant landscapes that might be hundreds of miles away. Common durations for pleasure flights are 20, 30, 45 and 60 minutes.
Trial Lessons
If you’re going to be in the cockpit, you may as well have a go at the controls, right? That’s exactly what you’ll get if you book a trial lesson, an experience which lets you be a pilot for a day. A trial flight will include more time on the ground at the airfield, as you’ll be given a briefing on basic flying techniques by your pilot-instructor and you might be invited to take part in the pre-flight checks. The pilot will then take charge of taxiing to the runway and taking off.
Once in the air, you will be allowed to fly the plane. How is this possible? It’s simple, training aircraft have dual controls, like those you’d find in a driving instructor’s car. This means that the pilot can transfer the flight controls to you one element at a time, while keeping a check on things. Trial lessons often include airtime of 30 minutes or an hour, and, at the pilot’s discretion, you might be the one controlling the aircraft for the majority of the flight, excluding take-off and landing.
A trial lesson comes with a certificate and can become the first step in your journey to earning a Private Pilot’s Licence (PPL). If this is what you decide to aim for, you’ll need to undertake flight training for a period of several months. More often than not, training is offered by the same providers who’ll take you for a trial lesson.
WHO CAN PILOT A PLANE?
The really extraordinary thing about a first flying experience is that it’s accessible and easy to organise. You don’t need to have a licence or sort out any kind of insurance, as all the paperwork is handled by the provider. On top of that, it’s open to people of all ages. There’s no fixed minimum age for participation in a trial flight but most flight centres put the bar somewhere between 12 and 14 years old. In other words, teens can pilot a plane in the sky before they are allowed to drive a car on the road!
Weight is always a consideration when planning a flight of any kind. In a light aircraft, the human element can be a significant proportion of the total payload, so the limits are pretty strict. In a two-seat plane, the maximum weight for a participant in a pleasure flight or trial lesson is usually around 18 stone or 115 kilograms, depending on the model. In a four-seat plane, the weight of all passengers will have to be considered and it might only be possible for two participants to enjoy the flight alongside the pilot.
THE BEST PLACES FOR AN AIRCRAFT FLIGHT IN THE COUNTRY
If you’re interested in seeing a beautiful part of the country from the area, you can’t do much better than flying over the first designated Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty in the UK, the Gower Peninsula. This dramatic spur of land, fringed by sandy beaches and impressive rocky stacks and formations, extends into the waters of the Bristol Channel a short distance from Swansea, South Wales, Pleasure flights and trial lessons are on offer at the city’s airport. Flight durations range from 30 to 90 minutes here, so you can see as much or as little as you like. To find out more, click here.
If sightseeing for you doesn’t mean landscapes but points of historical and cultural interest, we recommend that you organise a flight experience in Warwickshire. The county town is home to the imposing Warwick Castle and the spiritual home of British racing, the Silverstone Circuit, is also in the country. Both can be observed from the air on flights that depart from Coventry airport, also one of the best places in the Midlands for flight training. You can see what’s on offer by clicking here.
A great deal of flight experiences, including some unique ones, are on offer in Kent. As the closest county to the European continent, Kent saw a lot of action during the most famous aerial episode of the Second World War, the Battle of Britain. You can bring the drama, daring and history of this event to life with a flight experience in a historic aircraft and even see the famous Spitfire in action. There are plenty of flights in modern aircraft available too, including landaway trial flights, where you complete a return trip to an airfield outside the county. You’ll find all of the options here.
Devon is another county with a full range of flight experience to choose from. There are sightseeing flights along the Jurassic Coast, trial lessons and aerobatic experiences spread across several aerodromes. On an aerobatic flight, you’ll be in the passenger seat but that doesn’t mean it’s not exciting, because this is your chance to feel what it’s like to complete crazy airborne stunts. A crack pilot will take you on a 15, 30 or 60 minute white-knuckle ride, completing loop-the-loops, barrel rolls and more. If you’re brave enough, you can find out more details by following this link.
We all know that the weather in the UK can be somewhat less than reliable. A foolproof option that rules out the risk of rain stopping play is a flight simulation. Bedfordshire is home to one of the biggest flight sim centres in the country which welcomes those interested in aviation as well as trainee pilots to take part in a highly realistic recreation of flying. The really cool thing about flight simulators is that they offer you the opportunity to choose from dozens of different aeroplanes and locations for your flight. To arrange a flight of fancy, just click here.
Seats back, tables up, secure your hand luggage and it’s chocks away! The time has come to organise your aircraft flight in the UK. Have a safe flight, we can’t wait to hear all about it.
