Tiger Moths out of White Waltham for sure. Also Alan Cassidy has a CAP and a Pitts S2 over there if you are up for something a bit sportier....40mins from Oxford.

Personally I am a cuban, hammerhead, roll and loop man....best fun you can have with your clothes on........:ok: ;)

Sorry, Whirls, but those eggbeater thingies don't like going upside down, so by definition can't be as much fun as some of the aeroplanes mentioned here:)

Tiger Moth is good fun with bags of 'character', but it's not a good handling aeroplane, with terrible ailerons and poor control co-ordination. But everyone should fly one at least once. Try a Stampe - lovely aeroplane - everything the Tiger should have been.

Instead of the Harvard, try a Yak 52. More capable, and far cheaper (but lacks the 'history'). Skytrace at Wolverhampton (Gennedy Elfimov - Mr Yak - I can highly reccomend, having had some aeros instruction from him in our '52).

Best would have to be the Spitfire. I'd just love to fly one, but you're talking big bucks for one of those.

SSD

Flying something a bit different
 

SSD

tmmorris said, in his first post, he has: "poor tolerance of aerobatics (3 loops and I'm thinking about what I had for lunch). when anyone else flies aeros and his own attempts at aeros are limited to being talked through steep turns and wing-overs. Some of the other a/c mentioned are good fun for an aeros enthusiast but not much point if you're not.
I've never yet met a fixed-wing pilot who hasn't enjoyed the experience of a helicopter flight, even if they haven't wanted to take up flying helicopters themselves. It certainly qualifies as 'flying something a bit different.'

Try gliding - it's different! - Oxford Gliding Club, Weston on the Green, Aquila Gliding Club, Hinton in the Hedges, or Shenington (Banbury).

Bicester - not sure of their current status

Harrumph... Really, FFF, I flew the Northants School of Flying's Tiger, at Sywell, during both January and February and if it's not actually raining it's perfectly pleasant for 30 minutes or so providing you're properly wrapped up. (Also it's a particularly nice Tiger with a more powerful Chipmunk engine so it goes rather well).

I think the assertion that a 150hr PPL can be no more than a passenger in the T-6 is rather pessimistic. True, if you're not already tailwheel qualified you might not be doing takeoffs and landings, but there's no reason why you couldn't do some general handling. If the instructor is any good, you could learn a lot. I agree, however, that if you've not flown anything tandem and tailwheely before, a Moth, Cub or Chipmunk is as good a starting point as any. Another nice taildragger is the Super Decathlon, I think there's one at Tatenhill, which is not too far fom Oxford.

For something completely different....
 

Try a gyroplane...also known as gyros, autogyros, gyrocopters etc. Different from either f/w aircraft or helicopters, in fact a bit like a combination of the two. And tremendous fun. I think I have a total of about two hours over three flights in two different types, and considered doing more. About the same price as the cheaper f/w aircraft too.:ok: Main snag is lack of availability - only about 7 schools in the country. Have a look at the British Rotorcraft Association's website for details, airfields, instructors etc (anyone know the URL?).

It's up to you, but if you want something different, I'd go DIFFERENT - ie, helicopters, gyros, seaplanes, balloons, flexwing microlights or possibly gliders. Tigers and cubs are lovely, but apart from giving you an inferiority complex about your takeoffs and landings, I don't think you'll find tailwheel aircraft all that different - I didn't.

Tim,

I should have though of this yesterday, but the BA flying club at Wycombe have a Chipmunk, and its something every pilot should try at least once in their flying lifetime (I'm sure SSD would agree with that :) ). I haven't flown it 'cos I fly with the "other mob" at Wycombe.

Brooklands

Tiger Airways at Staverton are an easy drive from Oxford.

Tiger Airways as flyingfemme says above......you can get yer greasy mits on a Stampe or Boeing Stearman:ok:

FFF - that'll be our CAP10 you're talking about! Yes - used for aeros training, but its certainly plenty of fun the right way up as well - that'll be why I took the gf to Cannes on holiday in it last September!

CAP10 certainly a great all round machine - but I would say that - Tiger Moths also available at White Waltham through Avia Special Ltd ... but, now for something really interesting... once we've got the An-2 back, PPLs will be able to get dual on it under the auspices of the An-2 Club.

Feel free to pm me on any of the above.

Have to agree with Lowtimer that open cockpit flying should not be restricted to the summer. I had my first flight in a microlight in the first week of March and, while it was a bit cold, it was nothing that appropriate clothing couldn't sort out.

Back on topic, does a Tiger really count as something a bit different? Yes, they're not your usual training a/c, but if you really want something your mates down the flying club don't have in their logbook, try a harvard or stearman, or even a gyrothingummy. Can't fault the suggestion of a Chipmunk flight though. :O

Ooh, just had a thought: how about the AN2 at Wellesbourne? I'm sure you could find some willing volunteers to make up numbers. :ok:

For Tiger Moth rides the de Havilland Moth Club will be doing their Charity Weekend at Old Warden 12/13 June. £55 and everything goes to charity. I'll post more info nearer the time in a separate thread so as not to hijack this one (too much! :cool: )

At Waltham, Avia Special and one other outfit do Tiger Moth flights, which can be as hands on as you like, with aeros optional. Flying a Moth treaches you the true meaning of adverse yaw. There are two Cap 10s for aeros or general jollies. Those who feel timid about aeros ought to try some.

I agree with FFF that the Club's own Supercub is overprticed, but there is a real taildragger instructor to fly it with: Ian Marshall (he also flies the Cap).

At Booker, there is a Chipmunk. At Oxford itself, no taildraggers that I know of, but there is a Slingsby.

Snakecharmer - " but, now for something really interesting... once we've got the An-2 back, PPLs will be able to get dual on it under the auspices of the An-2 Club."....aye, well, it says here the AN2 was used for crop-dusting, amongst other things - now, when you keep referring to my Cap10 handling as "agricultural", does this mean you think I'd be good as a crop-duster?...or..er...did you mean something else? :p

Ed.

Thanks all for myriad suggestions. For the moment I think I'll go with a Tiger Moth at WW - unless that fails to work out. Autogyro sounds fun, though - it would be a leap of faith as although intellectually I understand how they fly, I don't really believe it in my heart...!

Tim