Do you have a bucket list? Need some bucket list ideas? In case you haven’t heard of one, it’s a list of experiences you want to have before you ‘kick the bucket’. Here at Air Experiences we’ve flown loads of people who want to tick flying off their bucket list, but with so many different ways of doing it, it can be tricky deciding which is best for you. Can’t make up your mind? Why not try them all!
Light aircraft flying lesson
The classic flying lesson, a flight in a light aircraft ticks all the boxes. Depending on the length of the flight, you should be able to have a go at flying the plane yourself, and depending on the aircraft, you might even be able to take a friend or relative along to sit in the back on your flight.
Helicopter lesson
Vertical take-off, hovering, even flying backwards: there’s not much a helicopter can’t do, and flying one is, for most of us, a thrilling once-in-a-lifetime experience.
Gliding lesson
If you like the sound of back-to-basics flying, a glider flight could be for you. There’s no engine – just the power of the sun and wind to keep you airborne. Without the noise of an engine, gliding is more peaceful than powered flight, and with two different launch methods to choose from (the exhilarating winch launch or more sedate aerotow), you have a couple of different options for your bucket list if you go down the gliding route.
Motorglider lesson
If you like the sound of gliding, but you prefer your aircraft to have an engine, motorgliding offers the best of both worlds. Motorgliders have an engine and propeller like a light aircraft, but long wings like a glider. That means they can get themselves off the ground and fly around just like a normal powered aircraft, but you also have the option of turning the engine off in flight, at which point the aircraft becomes a glider. On our best of both flying experiences, you’ll take off as a normal plane would and at some point in your flight your instructor will turn off the engine and you’ll experience gliding. Depending on the conditions, you’ll either glide back to the airfield or your instructor will turn the engine on again for the final part of your flight.
Vintage aircraft
Image: Air Frames Imaging
Fancy taking to the skies in a historic biplane? Choose a flight in a vintage aircraft and experience flying as Amy Johnson and Amelia Earhart would have known it. Hear the rumble of the mighty radial engine in a Boeing Stearman or the purr of the Gypsy Major engine in the Tiger Moth.
Aerobatics
Up the adrenaline level with an aerobatic flight and you’ll experience a few more G than you would on a straight and level flight. From an introductory loop and roll to a full-blown aerobatic flight sequence, our aerobatic flight experiences are the ultimate bucket list item.
Get a PPL
So what happens if you go on your flying lesson and you end up loving it so much that you can’t wait to go back for more? Well, you could always start training for your pilot’s licence! Your first flying experience counts towards your PPL, and getting your licence is more affordable than you might think. Find out more about getting your PPL and contact our sister company MotorGlide to discuss an affordable way of learning to fly.
