Legal Spitfire Passenger Flights
This probably answers a question I posed a while back. I have seen a Spifire fly over my house three times recently and, by air, I’m not far from Goodwood and also quite close to Beachy Head.
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Did a wartime OTU on Mks. I and II (but never flew them operationally), postwar flew Mks XI, XIV, XVI, and XXII.
Never saw any need for a Spitfire trainer (thousands of wartime lads just jumped in and took it away with no trouble). But can see the value of a "Spitfire Experience", although the IX(T) cannot possibly mimic the handling characteristics of the "real thing", which is simply the nicest aircraft that ever flew.
Never saw any need for a Spitfire trainer (thousands of wartime lads just jumped in and took it away with no trouble). But can see the value of a "Spitfire Experience", although the IX(T) cannot possibly mimic the handling characteristics of the "real thing", which is simply the nicest aircraft that ever flew.
is simply the nicest aircraft that ever flew
I loved the Spitfire in all of her many versions. But I have to admit that the later marks, although they were faster than the earlier ones, were also much heavier and so did not handle so well. You did not have such positive control over them. One test of manoeuvrability was to throw her into a flick-roll and see how many times she rolled. With the Mark II or the Mark V one got two-and-a-half flick-rolls but the Mark IX was heavier and you got only one-and-a-half. With the later and still heavier versions, one got even less. The essence of aircraft design is compromise, and an improvement at one end of the performance envelope is rarely achieved without a deterioration somewhere else
Seven years ago I when I was flush with some discretionary cash, I splurged on some warbird flying in NZ. I had several flights in a Yak 42, a Stearman and a Vampire and one flight each in a Harvard, a Mustang and a Spitfire.
All the flights were memorable, but the Spitfire was without doubt, the best. Very expensive but worth every penny, for the memories and seeing other pilot's reactions when I mention I've got stick-time in a Spitfire.
I'm indulging in this reminiscence to mention that warbird rides in NZ are now on a more organized basis and to point out that a Spitfire ride is significantly cheaper than in the UK - about £2100. Anyone who has a reason to go to NZ and thinking of flying a Spitfire, I recommend doing it at Ardmore:
Warbird Adventure Rides - Flight Experiences
All the flights were memorable, but the Spitfire was without doubt, the best. Very expensive but worth every penny, for the memories and seeing other pilot's reactions when I mention I've got stick-time in a Spitfire.
I'm indulging in this reminiscence to mention that warbird rides in NZ are now on a more organized basis and to point out that a Spitfire ride is significantly cheaper than in the UK - about £2100. Anyone who has a reason to go to NZ and thinking of flying a Spitfire, I recommend doing it at Ardmore:
Warbird Adventure Rides - Flight Experiences
