Fly a Spitfire
The Supermarine Spitfire is undoubtedly the most famous Fighter of World War II and evokes strong emotions in us all. It is still the dream aircraft of many, pilots and non pilots alike - many of whom still would love to fly a Spitfire one day.
We are only aware of a couple of two seat Supermarine Spitfires in the UK currently. One is Anthony Hodgson's PT462 based in North Wales - click here to visit their web site.
However none of these hold a Civil Aviation Authority Public Transport Certificate of Airworthiness (C of A) or equivalent EASA C of A. All Spitfires and most other warbirds are maintained on what is know as a Permit to Fly and this means that it is illegal to sell Spitfire Initial Flight Experiences in the UK. Also the pilot needs to hold an Instructors Rating and a Commercial Pilots License to be able fly for "hire and reward".
If you are lucky enough to know or meet an owner or pilot, there is of course the chance of getting a ride.
Currently, the next best thing is the T-6 Harvard or Texan, which is still used today to train display pilots such as the RAF Battle of Britain Memorial Flight (BBMF) before they step into the Spitfire or Hurricane. Indeed this is still true today - we have trained a number of pilots who then moved on to historic fighters such as the Spitfire and Mustang.
For more information on flight experiences in our 1943 AT6 Texan which really is the next best thing to flying a Spitfire - click here or explore our site using the menu options on the left.
|
