Best Flying Experiences To Book At Compton Abbas Airfield

• Explore the best flying experiences at Compton Abbas, including hands on flying lessons and scenic flights.
• Discover vintage aviation experiences, from Harvard warbirds to classic biplane flights.
• Find out what to expect from exciting wingwalking experiences and other unforgettable flying adventures.

There are airfields, and then there are places where simply turning up makes you want to find an excuse to go flying. Compton Abbas Airfield sits in the Dorset countryside and offers some seriously memorable ways to get airborne, from taking control of a four seater aircraft to climbing aboard a vintage warbird. So, if your feet are feeling a little too firmly attached to the ground, here are some flying experiences worth looking at.

Take The Controls With A Flying Lesson

If you have ever wondered what it actually feels like to fly an aircraft rather than simply sit in one, this is a pretty good place to start.

The 30 Minute 4 Seater Flying Lesson from Compton Abbas Airfield takes place in a four seater PA28 Warrior, with tuition from a fully qualified instructor. After the welcome, introduction and safety briefing, you get the chance to take the controls between take off and landing.

It is a proper hands on flying lesson rather than simply a scenic trip above the countryside. The flight time can also count towards a Private Pilot Licence, so this could be the beginning of something considerably more serious than just an afternoon in the clouds.

At 14 and over, it is also an option for younger budding pilots, while friends and family can watch from the airfield and enjoy the onsite café.

Step Back In Time In A Harvard

Some aircraft have a little more character than others, and the Harvard T6 Texan certainly falls into that category.

The 20 Minute Harvard Experience in Dorset gives you the chance to take to the skies in this famous vintage warbird, an aircraft that was used to train pilots for the United States Army Air Forces during the 1940s. It is basically aviation history with an engine attached.

Before heading skywards, you will have a full briefing and plan your route with an experienced instructor. Once airborne, you get the chance to take the controls, with a selection of aerobatic manoeuvres also possible overhead the aerodrome.

With the aircraft's Pratt and Whitney Wasp engine roaring into life, this is about as far removed from a routine trip on a modern passenger aircraft as you can get.

Go Full Vintage With A Biplane Flight

If your idea of flying involves goggles, a propeller and an aircraft that looks like it belongs in an old aviation film, a vintage biplane should probably be on the list.

The 30 Minute Vintage Biplane Flight UK Wide offers a flight in a fully restored aircraft, with genuine vintage machines such as the Tiger Moth and Stampe available depending on the location. Compton Abbas is one of the locations where you can take this trip back in time.

There is a pre flight briefing before you climb aboard, and you will have the opportunity to take the controls during the flight. Flying helmets and goggles are provided too, which is handy because turning up in your own pair of swimming goggles might raise a few questions.

The flight lasts 30 minutes, giving you plenty of time to enjoy the aircraft, the views and the rather wonderful feeling of doing something aviation has been doing for generations.

For Those Who Like Their Flying A Little Bonkers

There are flying experiences, and then there is standing on the wing of a moving aircraft. If that sentence has immediately caught your attention, wingwalking could be the one.

The Wingwalking Experience From Gloucestershire is operated by AeroSuperBatics and takes place at several UK locations, including Compton Abbas. The Gloucestershire experience heads to the team's home base at the former WW1 Rendcomb Aerodrome in the Cotswolds.

After a full safety briefing and preparation with a professional wingwalker, you will be secured to the wing of a Boeing Stearman biplane using a CAA approved safety harness. Once airborne, expect flypasts, zoom climbs, steep dives and banked turns, with the aircraft reaching speeds of up to 120mph.

The flight itself lasts around 8 to 10 minutes, although you should allow around three hours at the airfield for the full experience. It is certainly not the sort of thing you casually forget you have booked.

Which Flying Experience Will You Choose?

Whether you fancy learning to fly, getting closer to aviation history or simply doing something that gives everyone on the ground a good story to tell, there is plenty of variety here.

The flying lesson offers a chance to actually take control, while the Harvard delivers a proper taste of wartime aviation. The biplane keeps things wonderfully vintage, and wingwalking takes the whole idea of flying to another level entirely.

Basically, if your usual weekend involves staying firmly on the ground, it might be time to mix things up a bit. The sky is waiting, and it has considerably better views.