Virgin Experience Days Flying Days

Feel the adrenalin rush as you take the controls of a light plane and soar across the sky! This Virgin Experience Day introductory flying lesson will never be forgotten.

There are more than 40 flying lesson locations to chose from around the country, so you won't have to travel too far to experience this incredible day out.

Your flying lesson starts with a briefing from your instructor before the flight, covering safety and an introduction to some of the controls.

Once in the plane, you will be given headphones so that you can hear conversations between your instructor and air traffic control, and so that you can talk with your instructor. And when you get in the air, you'll be able to take over the controls - though your pilot will generally land the plane and taxi back. You should allow an hour for the whole experience. The flight will last approximately 25-30 minutes.

Useful info:

• Choose from over 40 locations nationwide
  
• Restrictions: Min age: 12 (under-18s need parental/guardian consent)
  
• Max height: 6ft 4 inch
  
• Max weight: 18 stone (114kg)
  
• Vouchers are valid for 10 months
  

Feel the adrenalin rush as you take the controls of a light plane and soar across the sky! You get one-to-one training with a Civil Aviation Authority licensed instructor, and your flying time counts towards a Private Pilot's licence. This Extended option means you will be flying for a longer time and will have a more in-depth lesson. Your flying lesson starts with a briefing from your instructor before the flight. This will cover safety, and an introduction to some of the controls. Once in the plane, your flight starts from the time the engine turns over. You will be given headphones so that you can hear conversations between your instructor and air traffic control, and so that you can talk with your instructor. Once in the air, you will be able to take the controls but your pilot will generally land the plane and taxi back. Minimum age: 12 (under 18's need parental/guardian consent) - Minimum height: 4 ft 10 inch (147 cm) - Maximum height: 6 ft 4 inch (193 cm) - Maximum weight: 12 stone at County Down, 16 stone at Leeds, 14 to 18 stone at other locations - You should be in reasonable health and agile enough to climb into the aircraft. 40 locations across the UK and Southern Ireland.

Enjoy the incredible adrenalin rush of a tandem skydive with this unforgettable experience day.

After a short safety briefing session, you will fly to a height of approx 10-12,000ft safely strapped to a British Parachute Association tandem instructor before leaping into a 5000ft free-fall.

Your instructor controls the whole descent including the parachute opening and landing - you can just focus on the incredible views and sensations as you enjoy the free-fall, followed by the sudden rush of the parachute opening and the final gentle descent back to earth.

This tandem parachute jump is a once-in-a-lifetime experience you'll still be talking about 40 years later!

Tandem skydive locations: Cambridgeshire - Peterborough; Cumbria - Grange over Sands; Devon - Dunkeswell; Kent - Headcorn; Lancashire - Preston; North Lincolnshire - Brigg; Northamptonshire - Brackley; Nottinghamshie - Langar; Shropshire - Whitchurch; Suffolk - Beccles; Wiltshire - Netheravon.

Useful info:

• Minimum age: 16 (under 18s need parental consent)
• Maximum weight: 15 stone (95 kgs) your weight should be proportionate to your height.
• Over-40s require a doctor's certificate of fitness
• You will be required to sign a Declaration of Fitness form, if in doubt please contact the centre before booking.

No engine, no noise, just the whistle of the wind in your face and a clear, calm perspective on the world below you; this is the experience of free flying in a tandem hang glider. Truly the closest thing to flying like a bird; soaring and circling in the warm thermal currents with breathtaking views of the beautiful English countryside. After a warm greeting from the friendly staff you'll be introduced to the tandem glider, a rigid winged ATOS VX. Your BHPA qualified instructor will take you through a full briefing before it's time for your flight. The ATOS VX uses state of the art rigid wing Technology and is specifically designed for tandem flights. Unlike other methods of hang gliding you will be towed into the air by a tug microlight. You'll enjoy a four to five minute exhilarating aero tow before release. Just a signal from the tug and the instructor jettisons the towline, releasing you and your instructor with just the whistling of the wind and the birds for company.The whole flying experience lasts around fifteen to twenty minutes, depending on the thermic activity on the day.You will be safely enclosed in a harness and your experienced instructor will be controlling the hang glider at all times. You can be sure you are in safe hands at all times; During the aero tow, whilst being released from the tug and gliding to a controlled landing. The experience runs up to twice a week throughout the main flying season (April to October). Please note that weekends are particularly busy - Please allow up to 2 hours for the full experience, your flight time will last for approximately 15 to 25 minutes in total, including the aero tow. Location: Upminster, Essex.

Imagine a wind tunnel that could be used for testing the aerodynamics of an F1 racing car, turn it upright, step into the airflow and you're skydiving! Its a proven concept operating in several countries to the benefit of the skydiving community and anyone else who wishes to taste the thrill of free-fall in a completely safe environment. Now you can experience the joy of human flight by easing yourself onto a 120mph air stream.

You'll meet the instructors who'll run through all of the fundamental training required before you can - this session is good fun! Instructors will then help you to 'kit-up' in a flight suit, helmet, goggles- then it's on tot the wind tunnel where you'll experience your flight. You will receive two flights of one minute each (that's the same free fall time as 3 tandem skydives). After your flight you'll be presented with a DVD of your flight as well as a flight certificate signed by the instructor.

Guideline:

• Minimum age: 12 years (under 18s need parental consent)
• Maximum weight: 18 stone
• Participants should be in good health. On arrival you'll be required to sign a statement of risk confirming that you're in reasonable health and fitness
• Participants will be unable to fly if they are pregnant, have suffered a dislocated shoulder are wearing a hard plaster cast or are under the influence of alcohol or non-prescribed drugs
• You should allow 1 hour for this experience

Locations: Milton Keynes in Buckinghamshire or Trafford Quays in Manchester.

Microlighting is oftern described as true freedom in the air. This form of flight has developed enormously over the past 20 years and has now evolved into one of the safest and most economical forms of flight. This is your opportunity to feel the thrill of these marvellous aircraft.

After a briefing with your instructor on all aspects of microlight flying, you will take into the air for this fantastic experience. You can either sit back and relax or you may take the controls for a more 'hands on' experience depending on the location and weather conditions.

Locations: Cambridgeshire - Peterborough, Cheshire - Sandbach, Devon - Barnstaple Essex - Great Dunmow, Essex - Upminster, Hampshire - Winchester, Manchester - Barton, Northamptonshire - Sywell, Northumberland - Morpeth, Scotland - East Lothian and Perthshire, Surrey - Camberley Wiltshire - Salisbury and Swindon.

Restrictions:

• Minimum Age: 10 (Participants under 18 year old need parental/guardian consent),
• Maximum Weight: 14 stone (around 100kg).
• Vouchers are valid for 10 months.
• This experience is weather dependent so we would advise you to check with you flying school on the day.

There is nothing quite like the sensation of hovering in a powerful, fast-moving helicopter, and no better way to see a variety of sights than with a themed helicopter tour. Choose between 31 different tours all across the UK with this 15 minute pleasure flight experience. Take your seat as the pilot climbs gracefully into the air, then sit back and take in the landscape below you. You may choose from a range of 31 different themed tours for a 15 minute flight. Here are some of the most popular locations: Stratford-upon-Avon - Shakespeare and Castles, Snowdonia - Magic and Mountains, Manchester- Bolton & Reebok Stadium. The following tours are also available: Aberdeen (Harbour and River Dee Tour) Bedford (Milton Keynes Tour) Bicester, Oxfordshire (Waddesdon Manor) Bournemouth, Dorset Bristol (Cheddar Gorge) Chester, Cheshire (City Tour) Cotswold Airport, Gloucestershire (Cotswolds Tour) Coventry (Castle Tour) Denham, Middlesex Edinburgh (City Tour) Edinburgh (Forth Bridges) Edinburgh (East Lothian) Exeter* (Dunkeswell) Glasgow (City Tour) Glasgow (Greenock) Gloucester, Gloucestershire Inverness (Cawdor Castle and Coast Tour) Lake District (Bowness Tour) Nottingham (City Tour) Newcastle upon Tyne (City Tour) Peak District, Derbyshire (Chatsworth) Preston, Lancashire Redhill, Surrey Stirling (Campsies, Stirling & Falkirk Wheel Tour) Welshpool, Mid Wales Upminster, Essex (Olympic Village Tour) Wolverhampton, West Midlands York (Breighton).