Hi

i know this might sound like a strange question but i was recently asked what would i like for my birthday.
quite frankly theres nothing id want more than to be took up in some Great war planes. BE2c, Sophwith Pup, etc.
i know theres not many working ones and that this might be a very difficult thing to organise.
if anyone could point me in the right direction that would be great!

Cheers

- Graham

Closest thing you would get is a Tiger Moth, a 1930's biplane trainer - a number of places do flights in these around the country

I don't know what WW1 replicas you have oop north, but there is a Vickers Vimy at Brooklands and also the Shuttleworth Collection have Flying Days although you might be too late for this season. Worth a Google for WW1 flying replica aircraft and seeing what's about.
There is a Dragon Rapide that flies passengers (unless Elf n Safety have killed it) but obviously aircraft of that period (or replicas) weren't designed for passengers - you had to earn your keep!!
Good luck though!! Just remember if you do get a flight that the castor oil can have an almost instant effect!!

Hi Graham

A little inspiration for you. My birthday flight in June... compliments of my wife

Fitzee

This replica Fokker Dreidecker is at Breighton, East Yorks



That's the only airworthy WW1 replica I know of further north than Northamptonshire, where there's another Fokker Dreidecker rep and a BE2 replica under rebuild

i am soooooooooooooooo jealous! where did you go for that flight?

Old Rhinebeck Aerodrome in upstate New York. A fantastic flight over the Hudson river.

A Rapide is closer to WW2 than WW1 (although a small number were armed and used operationally in the Spanish Civil War).

All the currently flying Rapides are WW2 or post-WW2 built. For a more 'authentic' experience, I paid a much lower sum than you'd pay in the UK for a Tiger Moth flight to fly over the western front, including Zonnebeke and Polygon Wood, in a Stampe SV4 biplane, think the name of the place was Moorsele

The replica Vimy at Brooklands is apparently, having done sterling service, being retired from flying - if it hasn't already been - this year, and will become a static exhibit there although it will be maintained in an airworthy condition

http://www.flightglobal.com/articles/2009/...ckers-vimy.html


NigelS

Working as I did at Rolls Royce where the engines were overhauled (re built) I had the privilege of seeing the last real Vimy about 40 years ago before it was destroyed in a fire.

That one was also a replica, and is now at Hendon

http://www.rafmuseum.org.uk/london/collect...ickers-vimy.cfm

Wonder what happened to the third RR Eagle, would look nice up front in a DH4 replica

Fitzee - What is the aircraft - a Waco? Looks great whatever it is!

Graham


Classic Flight Experiences do flights in Tiger Moths, from Sywell [Northampton], and Rochester. Find out at http://www.classicflightexperiences.co.uk/

A generous relative bought me a flight with them this year for my 50th birthday. A great time, friendly people; I went from Rochester in G-ALIW. Once I told the pilot I was a solo glider pilot (albeit of limited experience) he let me fly it myself, from after climb-out to base leg.

Oh, I can't resist it, here's a poser shot:

- and I did fantasize about having a pair of Vickers in front of me, but decided against strafing the trafic on the M2!

i wouldve been tempted to drop afew water ballons, waiting till they hit the floor and then make my own "wahhbooooom" sound outloud!

If you're really keen, you could make a trip to New Zealand and see authentic and reproduction Great War aircraft in action: http://thevintageaviator.co.nz

Gareth

"Fitzee - What is the aircraft - a Waco? Looks great whatever it is! "

Adrian

It's a 1929 New Standard. I was quite fortunate as the pilot put it in the trees a few weeks later! Nobody was hurt but the aircraft was pretty banged up
Nice shot in the "Moth" BTW

Fitzee

Graham,
I see references to Sywell and BE2 replicas in some of the other responses, but you might want to check out this website
www.biggles-biplane.com
where there is a fellow called Stephen Slater, who two years ago was working to restore a BE2C.
Regards,
Russell

Click to view attachment

I booked myself a week at O'Reilly's Rainforest Guesthouse in the Lamington Ranges just south of Brisbane Australia. The reason was to go on one of their rare treks out to the extremely remote gravesite of Reginald Haslem (Rex) Boyden. Rex was the pilot of the famous Stinson that crashed there in 1937.

I have been researching Australians who flew for the RNAS in the Great War for some time along with Andrew Smith (another pal of this Forum), and Rex Haslem was one such man.

The aircraft was lost in a bad storm and there was no radio on board. Noone really knew if the aircraft flew around the ranges, and headed to its destination, or attempted to turn back, so the search area was massive. Bernard O'Reilly decided he would go looking and some 10 days later found the wreckage. Amazingly, there were two passengers that survived the crash. There was an epic rescue mission, and teams of men hacked their way through the bush to reach the wreckage, and another team started hacking a path from the nearest navigable road towards the crash site.

I wanted to pay my respects at Rex's grave (he was killed in the crash, and buried on site), and so booked a holiday there. When I arrived at Coolangatta airport, I saw a brochure to book passenger flights in a Tiger Moth. I visited them, and asked whether a flight over the crash site could be arranged. They agreed, and we took off, flew overhead, and I paid my respects. On the return flight, the pilot asked me if I wanted him to "stunt" the aircraft. Boy, that was easy to answer. We looped, rolled, wingovers...the whole nine yards. This "straight and level" flying is for the birds!

Eventually, I was unable to make it out to the crash site. I might return and attempt it at some other time. Anyway, here is a pic of me and the Tiger Moth. (I think it was built in 1935 - unsure though).

Yep. We're still working on it. Due for first flight early in the New Year.

However, for insurance and certification reasons we will not be able to fly 'customer' passengers.

If Graham, you were to book one of the Tiger Moth flights available around the country, Barton or Nethersthorpe might be your nearest airfields, you will certainly get the nearest thing to a genuine WW1 experience.


Enjoy!!

Steve