Aerobatics experience recommendations please

[Zippee]

Hi all - I'm looking to buy my wife an aerobatics experience voucher for Christmas. We live near to Little Gransden in Beds, and often see Mark Jeffries up over the town and my wife keeps saying how much she'd love to have a go. I know theres all sorts of aircraft capable, even town to a basic tiger moth but I'd love her to try an Extra or similar.
I've found a few, all differ in price and time so just after any thoughts on the companies involved and if you have any other ideas.

I know theres a few aero rated pilots on here so would be good to have your thoughts as well;

Ultimate High in Goodwood - quite pricey but very good reviews. Also a long way for us to travel from.

Almat flying academy near Coventry - https://almat.co.uk/product/aerobatics-experience/ £250 gets the longest flight of circa 40 mins

Aerobatic Experience near Norwich - https://aerobaticexperience.co.uk/ similar price to the above but 10-15 mins less cockpit time

I know also theres the Blades up at Sywell but they're a tad more than I can afford.

Thanks in advance

[Magnum 475]

I was going to recommend Sywell & the Blades, or Ultimate High - they’re the best around.

Be careful with Almat - it changed hands a while ago, I’m not sure which aircraft they actually have that are truly aero capable at present!

The other fun one if you can find it is Aeros in a Chipmunk or Tiger Moth. Not as extreme as the Blades or Ultimate High, but great fun all the same.

[DP1]

I fly here and they do aeros in a Chipmunk. People seem to really like it and the plane is beautiful.

Might be a bit far though.

https://www.high-g.co.uk/aircraft

[LeroyLoser]

Did similar recently for my wife (jet fighter experience through swiss alps) & she was very pleased she took her sturgeon before she flew, just saying..

And dont use migflug if you end up doing similar, terrible comms.

She’ll love it i’m sure, good luck!

[eharding]

I'd recommend Ultimate Aerobatics at White Waltham near Maidenhead, if that isn't too far out of your way.

[blue_haddock]

Many years ago I went up in a ww2 Boeing stearman bi-plane and did so aerobatics and whilst it was nowhere near as extreme as the blades it was immense fun so I wouldn't rule out something less Extreme.

[Zippee]

Thank you all so far

[Zippee]

eharding said:

I'd recommend Ultimate Aerobatics at White Waltham near Maidenhead, if that isn't too far out of your way.

Thanks Ed, can I ask just how different the pitts is to the extra for an experience flight?

[rs4al]

LeroyLoser said:

Did similar recently for my wife (jet fighter experience through swiss alps) & she was very pleased she took her sturgeon before she flew, just saying..

And dont use migflug if you end up doing similar, terrible comms.

She’ll love it i’m sure, good luck!

Bet that was cheap….

[Narcisus]

I did aerobatics in a Chippy when I was a kid sick as a dog when back on terra firma but wow I loved every second !

He also let me have some stick time and fly it back to the airfield.

The way it felt compared to the 152’s I was training on was a revelation.

[eharding]

Zippee said:

eharding said:

I'd recommend Ultimate Aerobatics at White Waltham near Maidenhead, if that isn't too far out of your way.

Thanks Ed, can I ask just how different the pitts is to the extra for an experience flight?

They are quite different experiences, but both are pretty fantastic. The view in the 300 is much better compared to the Pitts, which can seem a little cramped and antiquated at first - lots of struts and flying wires, plus another wing over your head ( you sit in the front seat of both as a passenger), but the Pitts is an iconic aerobatic mount, full of character, whereas the Extra is rather more soulless, albeit rather more capable. Think Griffith 500 vs a Porsche 911 Turbo S. The aeros in the Pitts are likely to be more gentle (and gentleman-like) than the 300, and if you absolutely want to do some tumbling and experience 6g+ (in either direction, if needs be) then go for the 300. That being said, I'd go for the Pitts to start with. FWIW, as characterful as some other aerobatic types on offer are - the Chippy or even a Cessna 150 Aerobat - the truth is they're woefully underpowered compared to either the Pitts or the Extra, and you'd be spending a considerable amount of your time wheezing back up to height between figures.

I am obviously biased - I spent a happy 17-odd years flying at WW, a lot of that time in a Pitts (as well as a Yak), did get checked out in the Extra 300 but for the level of competitions I was flying the Pitts delivered 80% of what the 300 could for about 30% of the cost, although the experience flights are commercial operations and hence the price differential isn't quite as marked.

Whichever you choose, have fun! My only advice is to make sure to eat something before the flight, nothing worse than aeros on an empty stomach...seriously.

[essayer]

I was gonna say.. is it her first time flying in a light aircraft? Might it be worth testing the water first with a more sedate experience flight before going straight to 6G and perhaps putting her off for life? I know good instructor will tailor the flight accordingly, but start slow and all that

[Zippee]

Thanks both. She's been up in a cessna and a glider. She was desperate to do a loop but the instructor wasn't qualified so had to settle for a stall instead ??
I'm edging towards the extra as it would be great for her to have the clear view as well - though somehow I dubr think she'll be talking too much notice of that

I also see they fly a harvard, so I'll likely book that for myself 😀 my grandad trained pilots in the war in Canada in the T6 and I'm desperate to fly in one.

Edited by Zippee on Saturday 11th December 22:48

[LeroyLoser]

rs4al said:

LeroyLoser said:

Did similar recently for my wife (jet fighter experience through swiss alps) & she was very pleased she took her sturgeon before she flew, just saying..

And dont use migflug if you end up doing similar, terrible comms.

She’ll love it i’m sure, good luck!

Bet that was cheap….

Worth every penny, one of lifes golden moments that we’ll never forget, perfect clear blue skies and zero wind, i would have paid double tbh, if you’re going to create memories then go all out imo. She did the same for my birthday, 2 days with an SVJ through the italian tunnels

[CanAm]

eharding said:

They are quite different experiences, but both are pretty fantastic. The view in the 300 is much better compared to the Pitts, which can seem a little cramped and antiquated at first - lots of struts and flying wires, plus another wing over your head ( you sit in the front seat of both as a passenger), but the Pitts is an iconic aerobatic mount, full of character, whereas the Extra is rather more soulless, albeit rather more capable. Think Griffith 500 vs a Porsche 911 Turbo S. The aeros in the Pitts are likely to be more gentle (and gentleman-like) than the 300, and if you absolutely want to do some tumbling and experience 6g+ (in either direction, if needs be) then go for the 300. That being said, I'd go for the Pitts to start with. FWIW, as characterful as some other aerobatic types on offer are - the Chippy or even a Cessna 150 Aerobat - the truth is they're woefully underpowered compared to either the Pitts or the Extra, and you'd be spending a considerable amount of your time wheezing back up to height between figures.

I am obviously biased - I spent a happy 17-odd years flying at WW, a lot of that time in a Pitts (as well as a Yak), did get checked out in the Extra 300 but for the level of competitions I was flying the Pitts delivered 80% of what the 300 could for about 30% of the cost, although the experience flights are commercial operations and hence the price differential isn't quite as marked.

Whichever you choose, have fun! My only advice is to make sure to eat something before the flight, nothing worse than aeros on an empty stomach...seriously.

Bananas allegedly are best. They taste the same coming back as going down.

[LeroyLoser]

CanAm said:

eharding said:

They are quite different experiences, but both are pretty fantastic. The view in the 300 is much better compared to the Pitts, which can seem a little cramped and antiquated at first - lots of struts and flying wires, plus another wing over your head ( you sit in the front seat of both as a passenger), but the Pitts is an iconic aerobatic mount, full of character, whereas the Extra is rather more soulless, albeit rather more capable. Think Griffith 500 vs a Porsche 911 Turbo S. The aeros in the Pitts are likely to be more gentle (and gentleman-like) than the 300, and if you absolutely want to do some tumbling and experience 6g+ (in either direction, if needs be) then go for the 300. That being said, I'd go for the Pitts to start with. FWIW, as characterful as some other aerobatic types on offer are - the Chippy or even a Cessna 150 Aerobat - the truth is they're woefully underpowered compared to either the Pitts or the Extra, and you'd be spending a considerable amount of your time wheezing back up to height between figures.

I am obviously biased - I spent a happy 17-odd years flying at WW, a lot of that time in a Pitts (as well as a Yak), did get checked out in the Extra 300 but for the level of competitions I was flying the Pitts delivered 80% of what the 300 could for about 30% of the cost, although the experience flights are commercial operations and hence the price differential isn't quite as marked.

Whichever you choose, have fun! My only advice is to make sure to eat something before the flight, nothing worse than aeros on an empty stomach...seriously.

Bananas allegedly are best. They taste the same coming back as going down.

Or Sturgeron tablets

Coped with the 6-7 Gs, rolls and loops, do they pull more in aerobatic propeller powered flights / planes?

[eharding]

LeroyLoser said:

Or Sturgeron tablets

Coped with the 6-7 Gs, rolls and loops, do they pull more in aerobatic propeller powered flights / planes?

I saw +9g in the Extra a few times, but the durations of loading in aerobatic aircraft are much shorter than those seen in jets. What does mess with your head (literally) is the rapid alternation between positive and negative g - so a +3g pull immediately followed by a -3g push is much more unpleasant than a simple +6g pull. One of the issues with the Extra 300 vs a Pitts is that keeping the former in the aerobatic competition box is harder as it is inherently faster and less draggy than the latter. Jet experiences, and, to be honest, most aerobatic experience flights in general, will consist of what was dubbed LAROSA - Loops and Rolls On A Sunday Afternoon - because you don't want to upset the punters, but if required propeller-driven aerobatic types can demonstrate figures that the jet experiences wouldn't go anywhere near - spins upright/inverted, flat or knife-edge, flick rolls, avalanches, stall turns, tail slides and the whole obscure lexicon of tumbling - Ruades, Lomcevaks, Mulleroids - all of which are inventive ways of going arse-over-tit up or down the sky, and huge fun if you like that sort of thing. The Extra tumbles very well, the Pitts less so.

A full-on fat-boy English breakfast would be my recommendation rather than any pills - as I've said, nothing worse than aeros on an empty stomach IMHO, but then there are those who would tell you that I hate doing *anything* on an empty stomach, which is probably the reason I doubt I could get into a single seat Pitts any more....

[anonymous-user]

Although it’s much more sedate, some mild manoeuvres in an open cockpit tiger moth or (possibly better) SV4 (looks like a tiger moth) is pretty special.

There was this thread about going up in one a while ago.

https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...

Tiger Airways in Gloucester mentioned in the thread Isn’t too far from you is it?

Edited by anonymous-user on Sunday 12th December 10:28

[GliderRider]

An aerobatic flight in a glider gives a whole different take on the aerobatics. Rather than being deafened a 300hp engine, its all about conservation of energy and just the sound of the air passing over the aircraft.

I had a flight in an MDM Fox, in which we were towed up to 5000ft. At 300ft on the tow we had already rolled inverted...

The pilot asked me what manoeuvres I wanted to fly; so having already experienced normal loops, chandelles and spins in more ordinary gliders, I purposely went for the ones only a fully aerobatic glider can do; an inverted spin, an outside loop and an axial hesitation roll.

We did all that and were back on the ground within eight minutes, yet by the time we landed I was very glad we were, as my face was as green as the grass and I really couldn't have taken any more, although I'm very glad to have experienced it.



Here's a video from a Fox that gives a taste: MDM Fox glider aerobatics

Edited by GliderRider on Sunday 12th December 16:09

[LeroyLoser]

eharding said:

I saw +9g in the Extra a few times, but the durations of loading in aerobatic aircraft are much shorter than those seen in jets. What does mess with your head (literally) is the rapid alternation between positive and negative g - so a +3g pull immediately followed by a -3g push is much more unpleasant than a simple +6g pull. One of the issues with the Extra 300 vs a Pitts is that keeping the former in the aerobatic competition box is harder as it is inherently faster and less draggy than the latter. Jet experiences, and, to be honest, most aerobatic experience flights in general, will consist of what was dubbed LAROSA - Loops and Rolls On A Sunday Afternoon - because you don't want to upset the punters, but if required propeller-driven aerobatic types can demonstrate figures that the jet experiences wouldn't go anywhere near - spins upright/inverted, flat or knife-edge, flick rolls, avalanches, stall turns, tail slides and the whole obscure lexicon of tumbling - Ruades, Lomcevaks, Mulleroids - all of which are inventive ways of going arse-over-tit up or down the sky, and huge fun if you like that sort of thing. The Extra tumbles very well, the Pitts less so.

A full-on fat-boy English breakfast would be my recommendation rather than any pills - as I've said, nothing worse than aeros on an empty stomach IMHO, but then there are those who would tell you that I hate doing *anything* on an empty stomach, which is probably the reason I doubt I could get into a single seat Pitts any more....

Great info, thanks. Thought the prop experience would be more extreme tbh but she was after speed as much as G & the passing mountains and climb up the face of one, gave her all she could have wanted.

Full breakfast was advised to, the sturgeron were on top of that, night before and one 2 hrs before flight, all advised by the crew at Sion, good idea to try them before the event though as some people react adversely to them.