Tiger Moth
Tiger Moth
Capel-le-Ferne Memorial
Capel Memorial
Tiger Moth
Capel Museum
Chartwell House
Tiger Moth
Tiger Moth
Flight in a vintage Jackaroo or Tiger Moth from Headcorn Aerodrome
Visit to Churchill's beloved home, Chartwell
Capel-le-Ferne "scramble" experience and Memorial to the Few
Biggin Hill Airfield - Memorial Museum and St George’s Chapel
Following on from our "Magnificent Men in their Flying Machines" tour, we have added another fantastic tour that includes an exhilarating short flight in a vintage open cockpit Tiger Moth or Jackaroo aircraft from Headcorn Aerodrome. These legendary aircraft were the types used to train pilots during WWII and represent a rare opportunity to undertake a flight in one of these classic aircraft and experience what it was like to be a trainee pilot in WWII. Join aviation historian, Chris Lee-McCloud and historian Robert Owen on this interesting tour.
Available Departures |
From |
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| 19 - August - 2024 | £ 799.00 | Travel Info Book Now |
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Provisional Timings |
Day 1: Arrive independently from 15.00 at the Orida Maidstone Hotel.
This evening there will be a welcome reception, private dinner with wine and a talk from aviation expert, Chris Lee-McCloud.
Day 2: Flight in a Tiger Moth or Jackaroo and Capel-le-Ferne Memorial.
The highlight of this tour is undoubtedly the flight from Headcorn Aerodrome in a vintage Jackaroo or Tiger Moth open cockpit plane. Most pilots learnt to fly before progressing to such types as the Spitfire, Hurricane, Lancaster, Sunderland etc, so this represents a rare opportunity to undertake a flight in one of these classic aircraft and experience what it was like to be a trainee pilot in WWII. There will also be plenty of time to look at the on-site Lashenden Air Warfare Museum. Your day will also include a visit to the Capel-le-Ferne Memorial, which also includes the immersive exhibition and film "Scramble Experience”. Dinner at the hotel.
Day 3: Biggin Hill, RAF Kenley and Chartwell.
Our first visit of the day is to Biggin Hill, a key location in WWII and is recognised as Sir Winston Churchill’s ‘strongest link’. Here we will visit the Memorial Museum and St George's Chapel of Remembrance. Then to RAF Kenley, the most intact fighter airfield from WWII where we will learn the history and the important role the airfield played. We will also have a short visit to St Luke’s Church in Whyteleafe where in ‘Airman’s Corner’ we pay respects to the 55 airmen who died at Kenley since 1922, including 5 groundcrew who were killed when Kenley was bombed on the 18th August 1940, known as the Hardest Day. Our final visit of the tour is to Chartwell, Churchill’s beloved home, which he, and his wife Clementine, bought in 1922. The house has been preserved as it would have looked when the Churchills were in residence and has a wealth of memorabilia, original furniture and books. The gardens are also lovely, and include the lakes installed by Churchill, his studio, Lady Churchill’s Rose Garden and the kitchen garden. Return to the hotel for approximately 17.30.
NB: Exact order of itinerary may vary according to local conditions and tour manager's discretion.
Post tour extra nights are available at a supplement
Please note the maximum group size on this tour is 30 passengers
Please note in order to gain access to the aircrafts you will need to climb up a couple steps.
Please note: in the unlikely event of the Tiger Moth/Jackaroo flight being cancelled for any reason a voucher for a replacement flight only will be issued.
INCLUDED
NOT INCLUDED
Orida Hotel, Maidstone
Contemporary four-star hotel located on the outskirts of Maidstone. Facilities here include leisure centre with indoor pool, bar and restaurant. Bedrooms are comfortable with all modern amenities including en-suite bathroom, TV, telephone, free wifi and hairdryer.
Car parking: Car parking is available at the hotel at £5 per day, payable directly at the hotel.
Orida Maidstone Website
Your Expert Historian - Chris Lee-McCloud
Chris Lee-McCloud is a lifelong aviation historian, and has been involved with the Imperial War Museum at Duxford since the early 1980s. In his spare time, Chris spent twenty years in the Air Training Corps, rising to command Duxford’s local Squadron at Sawston. In 2001, after working at Stansted Airport and Duxford, Chris started his teaching career by reading History at Cambridge. Making good use of his time there, he helped re-launch the Homerton History Society and was elected as President; he also co-wrote an academic paper with one of his lecturers, examining the “cult” of the Spitfire. Chris now teaches History near Cambridge, conveniently close to Duxford as his students often like to visit! He has also planned and led school tours of the First World War Battlefields of France and Belgium for over ten years.
Chris has been leading guided tours at Duxford and other venues for more than 25 years, and greatly enjoys guiding for Travel Editions as the audience is refreshingly different from his day job!
Your Expert Tour Manager - Dr Robert Owen
Dr Robert Owen, an aviation historian and the Official Historian of the No. 617 Squadron Association. His interest in the Squadron extends over 40 years and he is co-author of "Breaching the German Dams" for the RAF Museum. He has assisted the authors of numerous authoritative books on the subject together with a number of TV documentaries. He has also contributed to publications for the RAF Museum, Keith Park Memorial Fund, Battle of Britain Memorial Flight and the RAF's official publication commemorating the 70th Anniversary of the Battle of Britain.
Important Information – Please note there is a maximum weight limit per aircraft:
Maximum weight for Tiger Moth – 105kg
Maximum weight for Jackeroo for two people – 180kg
Please note that all our UK tours start and finish at the relevant hotel.
You can normally check in from 3pm onwards but hotels will always be happy to store your luggage if you arrive earlier in the day.
For full details of how to get to the hotel, directions and the nearest train station, please click on the hotel website or call our office for details. These will also be sent automatically with your confirmation.
The welcome reception and first evening dinner / talk will commence at about 6pm - full details will be sent with your joining instructions about 10 days prior to the arrival date.
The food in the hotel was good and the staff pleasant. The room was clean but everthing in the whole building, an annexe, was tired and needed serious updating. In fact demolition wouldn't be a bad idea. There was no fan in the bathroom for goodness sake. However the company was good and we enjoyed the break.
Review by Dotchin who travelled 13-September-2021
Excellent trip. Very well organised. First class guides. The only problem was access to the Shoreham Aviation Museum. Not suitable for a large coach. The majority of exhibits were similar to those at Lashenden Air Warefare Museum. I would suggest removing Shoreham from the trip. Hotel was very comfortable, excellent food but a little tired.
Review by Butterfield who travelled 13-September-2021
Well organised by the tour manager and the guide David Lee was excellent.
Review by McCartney who travelled 13-September-2021
