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[Travel] Helicopter Experience - Wingly, Shoreham Airport



Bold Seagull

strong and stable with me, or...
Mar 18, 2010
29,722
Hove
So my Dad has a helicopter ride on his bucket list, and despite recent tragic events, we as a family are thinking of sending him up in one for his birthday (checking life insurance policy coverage beforehand etc.)

Has anyone been on one from Shoreham Airport? Recommendations / comments?

https://www.wingly.io/en/flights/1999819
 


Reagulls

Well-known member
Jul 22, 2013
764
So my Dad has a helicopter ride on his bucket list, and despite recent tragic events, we as a family are thinking of sending him up in one for his birthday (checking life insurance policy coverage beforehand etc.)

Has anyone been on one from Shoreham Airport? Recommendations / comments?

https://www.wingly.io/en/flights/1999819

Mrs Reagulls bought me a helicopter flight as a surprise for my birthday a few years back, I guessed it the day before when she said we were having lunch in the Bridge at Shoreham.
I told her that I'm not getting in a helicopter, no way!. I was then very quiet for the rest of the day and the following morning when i decided that Its a rare opportunity and decided that I'd fight my feelings and do it.

It was like sitting in a Citroen 2CV with thin metal doors between you and the outside world and it took 3 goes to start it!

the pilot hovered low around shoreham airport to get us used to it before climbing into the sky...it was amazing and I'm very glad I did it.
He asked us wher we wanted to go and it was a beatiful day so we went along the seafront and out over the Amex obviously!
we went with helifly, I'll post some pics if i can.
 


vegster

Sanity Clause
May 5, 2008
27,869
Mrs Reagulls bought me a helicopter flight as a surprise for my birthday a few years back, I guessed it the day before when she said we were having lunch in the Bridge at Shoreham.
I told her that I'm not getting in a helicopter, no way!. I was then very quiet for the rest of the day and the following morning when i decided that Its a rare opportunity and decided that I'd fight my feelings and do it.

It was like sitting in a Citroen 2CV with thin metal doors between you and the outside world and it took 3 goes to start it!

the pilot hovered low around shoreham airport to get us used to it before climbing into the sky...it was amazing and I'm very glad I did it.
He asked us wher we wanted to go and it was a beatiful day so we went along the seafront and out over the Amex obviously!
we went with helifly, I'll post some pics if i can.

Brave man ! Not for me, even if I was rescued at sea I'd ask for the RNLI rather than the search and rescue chopper.
 


Icy Gull

Back on the rollercoaster
Jul 5, 2003
72,015
My brother had a flying lesson at Shoreham bought as a present years ago. It was a windy day and as soon as the plane left the ground he was terrified and asked to be brought straight back down to earth! They were really good and gave him the voucher back to give to someone else, it never got used!

I once had a helicopter trip in a small one with a big glass floor underneath over the Victoria Falls from Zimbabwe. Absolutely amazing experience flying over the falls and then along the Zambezi River.

Your dad is likely to love it, hopefully he’ll be doing it on a calm sunny summer’s day.
 








Perfidious Albion

Well-known member
Oct 25, 2011
5,989
At the end of my tether
I had a flight in a helicopter. , from a Country Show when I lived in tbe midlañds . This chopper took 4 passengers and it was going up and back non stop all day. A few minutes seemed longer when you are in it.
Yes , it was a bit noisy and pitched forward on take off....but I loved it.
 


nordicgod

Top banana
Jul 21, 2011
885
polegate
Done the Grand Canyon one and over the Vegas strip twice also year ago had a helicopter lesson from shoreham and flew it back from over marina , he said I was a natural and must have been my train driving skill , if I had the cash at the time I would of definitely done some more lessons . Great fun
 






Icy Gull

Back on the rollercoaster
Jul 5, 2003
72,015
I was once on a pretty bumpy flight back from Cyprus and was looking suitably terrified, the guy next to me turned out to be a Cyprus Air Force helicopter pilot who proceeded to regale me with stories of hairy helicopter flights and how this was nothing!. Once he mentioned rotary wings flapping around like spaghetti above his head in really windy weather I decided that maybe I was over reacting being scared on a bumpy flight!
 


Live by the sea

Well-known member
Oct 21, 2016
4,718



Nothing would persuade me to get into a helicopter not even to avoid the queues to get to st tropez in the summer ! I’d rather sit in traffic for 3 hours.
 






swindonseagull

Well-known member
Aug 6, 2003
9,228
Swindon, but used to be Manila
Iand pitched forward on take off....but I loved it.

In forward flight, a helicopter's flight controls behave more like those in a fixed-wing aircraft. Moving the cyclic forward makes the nose pitch down, thus losing altitude and increasing airspeed. that's why helicopters normally pitch forward on take off, to increase speed. ( had to remind myself Ive not worked on helicopters since 1984)

Also taking off from a high hover is not very efficient..it uses a more fuel to hover
 


AmexRuislip

Trainee Spy 🕵️‍♂️
Feb 2, 2014
33,729
Ruislip
Had 3 years working on helicopters in Hong Kong in the RAF.....used to use them like taxis call the ops room and a wessex arrived at HMS Tamar

Perfectly safe machines...


I knew you'd be on here :thumbsup:

Part of the helicopter experience of flying out of Shoreham is watching some geezer of an Albion fan, mowing and trimming old dears verges and bushes in the local area :D
 










Reagulls

Well-known member
Jul 22, 2013
764
So my Dad has a helicopter ride on his bucket list, and despite recent tragic events, we as a family are thinking of sending him up in one for his birthday (checking life insurance policy coverage beforehand etc.)

Has anyone been on one from Shoreham Airport? Recommendations / comments?

https://www.wingly.io/en/flights/1999819

Mrs Reagulls bought me a helicopter flight as a surprise for my birthday a few years back, I guessed it the day before when she said we were having lunch in the Bridge at Shoreham.
I told her that I'm not getting in a helicopter, no way!. I was then very quiet for the rest of the day and the following morning when i decided that Its a rare opportunity and decided that I'd fight my feelings and do it.

It was like sitting in a Citroen 2CV with thin metal doors between you and the outside world and it took 3 goes to start it!

the pilot hovered low around shoreham airport to get us used to it before climbing into the sky...it was amazing and I'm very glad I did it.
He asked us wher we wanted to go and it was a beatiful day so we went along the seafront and out over the Amex obviously!
we went with helifly, I'll post some pics if i can. Helicopterflight pics.JPG
 






A mex eyecan

Well-known member
Nov 3, 2011
3,278
done a few helicopter and fixed wing lesson flights out of Shoreham. Helicopter firm was fast helicopters if i recall correctly. Fantastic, and once took a four seater with an instructor, my Mrs and Daughter up,

now i’m in no rush to leave this mortal coil, but your gonna go one day and i’d rather that day being earlier but doing something that thrilled me in preference to living to x gazillion years old and festering in my bed
 



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