Nowadays we’re all used to travelling by plane. Whether we’re going on holiday, visiting friends and family or on a business trip, the process of checking in, security, departures lounge, boarding and getting bored during the flight has become almost routine. Aren’t you bored of always being the passenger? Wouldn’t you relish the opportunity to take the controls yourself? Well, in Swansea you can. Take to the skies above South Wales with a pleasure flight, a trial flight experience, or learn to fly a plane by yourself here - we’ve got the right adventure for you.

Where to fly an aeroplane in Swansea?

Swansea airport is located on the Gower Peninsula which was the first place in the UK to be designated an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. You’ll see why as you take off from the runway and ascend into the skies of South Wales. Further afield you’ll see Swansea Bay, the Bristol Channel and the North Devon coast. But it’s not just the views that attract people to flying - the exhilaration of soaring like a bird through the air and defying gravity in a small aircraft is addictive. It’s a much more intense experience than you get on a commercial flight, guaranteed to thrill and leave you with a smile on your face. There’s something else that might leave you smiling - the price. If getting to fly a plane yourself can be cheaper than being a passenger on a jumbo jet, why wouldn’t you give it a go?

What kinds of aircrafts are there?

A flying experience in Swansea is all about getting in the air and feeling the excitement, so unlike a commercial flight there’s no need for space to accommodate hundreds of passengers and all their luggage. Instead you’ll pilot a light aircraft: much more snug on the inside and far more responsive at the controls. Here are the available models.

• Ikarus C42: one of the smaller sport aircraft around, the Ikarus C42 is a pleasure to fly. It boasts a surprisingly spacious cabin for 2 people with large windows which let in a lot of light and give you great views. On top of that, its single engine is known for its low fuel consumption and relatively low noise, ensuring a peaceful flight which doesn’t add too much to your carbon footprint.

• Piper Cherokee: a well known and well liked name in aviation, Piper has manufactured hundreds of thousands of aircraft since the 1920s. One of the most popular is the Cherokee, a 4 seater craft which will fit you, your pilot and up to two passengers. Fans of the James Bond films might recognise the Cherokee as the plane of choice of femme fatale Pussy Galore in the movie Goldfinger, which adds a certain sense of style to the proceedings.

• Piper Tomahawk: a smaller 2 seater cousin of the Cherokee, the Tomahawk shares the iconic low-wing design. You’ll feel like the real deal as you climb onto the wing in order to enter the cockpit. This plane has a very successful safety record compared to aircraft of similar size and specifications, and is also more manoeuvrable.

Who can participate in these flights?

Taking control of a real aeroplane in flight is no mean feat, and so there’s a minimum age in place to ensure that the person who’s going to fly the plane understands the risks involved and will keep a level head at altitude. You need to be 14 years or older to fly one of the aircraft mentioned above from Swansea airport. Older aspiring pilots can relax, there’s no upper age limit on starting a flying adventure.

The light aircraft are finely tuned machines and so the payload has to be carefully calculated in order to ensure correct fuel consumption and performance. For this reason, there is a maximum weight limit of 18 stone or 114kg for the person who’s going to fly the plane. In a plane with 2 seats, you’ll fly alongside a flight instructor, but in a 4 seater there’s also space for passengers. Their weight has to be taken into account as well so get out the scales before choosing who’s going to accompany you on your high altitude adventure!

How long does this experience last?

Flight experiences of a variety of lengths are on offer, from a quick up and down in 20 minutes, to a 90 minutes of air time. In each case, your pilot will get you airborne before handing over control of the plane to you! They’ll monitor your performance and instruct you on how to use the controls on the dashboard. On a short flight you will have a couple of minutes to fly the plane yourself, as you circle the beautiful Gower Peninsula with its cliffs, beaches and the Worm’s Head rock formation at the Western tip. Not only will you cover more ground on a longer flight, you’ll also get more time to pilot the plane. This will give you time to learn some basic manoeuvres such as ascending, descending and steering.

If you’ve got a more serious interest in learning to fly, you can satisfy your appetite for altitude here. You have to complete 25 hours of accompanied flight training to get a licence and Swansea airport is a great place to do it. The airspace around the airport is unrestricted, meaning you can explore many different flight paths as you complete your training, and the highly experienced training pilots will make good company on your first flights. During these you will learn about airborne handling, before moving on to take off and landing. Once you’ve mastered these, you can start flying solo and you’ll be just a few steps away from calling yourself a pilot.

Being a pilot doesn’t have to be a daydream any more. Let us help you turn a dream into a reality with the flight of your life!