"Gift" flights
 

Help !

As usual we've left it too late, but appreciate help from anyone in the know. A Pprune search was fruitless, and is this a question or a wannabe topic...?

For my nephew's 18th birthday we'd like to get him one of these "gift flights" where a non-pilot gets to go up in a light aircraft, do a circuit or short scenic tour, perhaps have a feel of the controls, then down again.

We need an airfield/port in the vicinity of Portsmouth (Hants, UK) say up to an hour away by car.

Internet searches for this type of thing yield lots of results, but clearly this isn't something to be undertaken lightly or on the cheap. Grateful for any suggestions and experiences of this type of thing. Not looking for the dearest price tag, but neither the cheapest. A good all round "deal" with a good reputation.

At the same time a brief poll of sorts : Powered flight or gliding for the treat? I know I'd prefer a glide...but at 18 do they want engines...?

Thanks muchly for any suggestions!

Easy.

Pick up a Pilot mag, and phone any of the clubs based at either Southampton or Goodwood and ask about a trial lesson.

PS

Cheers PS

I should have added, I'm in Hong Kong so phone calls are out the window - at least until a short short-list has been made. Viva the internet. Glorious Goodwood - didn't think of that!

Thanks.

I still recon that a lot of them will have an Email contact address, so my starting place would still be to nip down the shop and get yourself a copy of either Pilot or Flyer and look them up. You might be able to track them down electronicaly by going too either www.flyer.co.uk or www.pilotweb.co.uk.

Good luck

PS

I would recommend that you avoid buying a 'gift flight' from somewhere like WHsmith. It is a very expensive way of doing it. Try calling the flying schools directly and asking about trial flights / trial lesson.

Could not agree more with the above.

The trip into space sums these WHS offers up for me. IIRC, something like 20 million, with 100K paid up front with no guarantees. Me thinks not.

PS

I agree with all the advise given above!!. As for which discipline i.e powered or gliding I don't think an eighteen year old would mind either. I do both and find them both as equally rewarding and different. Gliding might be the cheaper opetion and if you go down this route try to arrange it for a sunny THERMIC day to get the most out of it. If you go powered he will not doubt love this but be prepared for him begging to use your wallet to gain a PPL. Happy looking

About an hour away at Popham, Mac and Paula Smith's "Airborne" school do trial flights in microlights. They're a good school, and Popham is a pleasant place to spend an afternoon.

It might be slightly easier on the pocket, and considerably easier if that's the way he wants to go for his PPL.

http://www.avnet.co.uk/airbourne/

G

[This message has been edited by Genghis the Engineer (edited 04 July 2001).]

Microlights,

Well if that's your thing fine. Personaly, from a cost point of view I have very mixed feelings. It should be cheaper, but if you look closer, I'm not so sure it is, particularily if you want it as a way of stepping into GA.

My views.

PS

Thank you one and all, some sound stuff here.

If he wants to go further with it, he's on his own :) I know he loves to fly and get the shivers [of excitement] when he sees the big silver bird, so this will be a treat.

I came across and looked in to the Popham microlight idea, which looks great. Might go that way after further looking.

Again, hats off and thanks all.

hi there

I live in Portsmouth and I fly from Goodwood aerodrome in Chichester. Alternatively there is southampton airport at eastleigh.

Both flying schools at the airports so trial flying lessons of either 30 mins or 1 hour. At Southampton they do a "land-away" where you fly to the isle of wight, land have a cup of tea and a sticky bun and then go back, plus it is in a 4seat warrior so another person can go along for the ride.

Anyway whatever you do have fun
Mike