Aerial Collective Duxford Reviews 

FANTASTIC ABSOLUTELY FANTASTIC!
What an experience, from start to finish, and was lucky enough to be part of a dual take-off and landing with another Spitfire, and flew in close formation.
What an absolute dream!

From the first contact with Aerial Collective through the whole process was just first class.All the people were very attentive to my wishes and I could not have had a better day out. If anyone reading this is thinking of going to do this, don't put it off it is a wonderful experience from start to finish. My pilot for the trip was Stu and he did a fantastic job, thanks Stu.

Difficult to add any more than what has already been written on previous reviews. A fantastic experience from start to end. The weather and COVID have conspired to make me wait quite some time for my flight but it was so worth the extended wait. From Jack and Lisa, to Joe and Tom and John who flew the Mustang, all were nothing short of a joy to be around and converse with during the whole experience.
Aerial Collective are clearly as invested in your flight as much you are. They are genuine in their disappointment when a flight can’t happen, whatever the reason, and are just as elated as you when you have your flight experience.
I can’t recommend Aerial Collective enough. From what was initially a ‘this will be something different’ thought line, I am now resolute in my thoughts that this won’t be the last flight experience I experience with Aerial Collective.

A fantastic day. A slick experience from arrival to departure. Professionally executed and highly enjoyable; the AC team are attentive, knowledgeable, capable and keen to prioritise the customer.
The flight itself was everything I hoped it would be. The pilot answered my noddy questions and kept me informed throughout. Just superb.

A completely brilliant day, and utterly memorable. If tempted to fly in a Spitfire, Duxford is a great place to do it as the place has so many interesting aircraft there on the tarmac, as well as in the Museum. The Lancaster was standing there, and in the working hangars we saw so many other historic warplanes, even though the Museum was closed that day due to covid. The Aerial Collective team looked after me and my guests very nicely indeed - thanks, Jack, Lisa and pilot Rats - who was brilliant.

The flight was simply amazing; the weather was perfect and we flew off to the north-west. Another great advantage of Duxford is that while there is enough flying going on to entertain (my friends enjoyed watching a practice WW1 dogfight while I was up) it isn't busy enough to delay take-off, and once in the air there are wide open skies without much other traffic.

Very soon I was given control, and flew cautiously, turning this way and that and trying to hold the aircraft level at the same time. The views were amazing - so many old airfields! Then it was time for aerobatics, with wingovers, a barrel roll, a loop and finally a victory roll. And then perhaps the most memorable of all: a sudden very tight 180 degree turn "to chase that Messerschmitt"! Can Spitfires turn!

Back at the airfield we zoomed low in front of my watching friends (something I gather only Duxford can offer) before joining the circuit and landing, beaming from ear to ear. I shall smile every time I think of this birthday...

Without wanting to gush with enthusiasm there are simply not enough platitudes with which to heap praise onto the Aerial Collective team.

From the first phone call enquiring about the possibility, all the way through to saying farewell to the team after the flight, nothing was too much for Jack and Lisa. Got questions, they'll answer them; got concerns, they'll assuage them; got a joke, they'll politely laugh at it!

From the moment you arrive the professionalism and commitment to ensuring you have the greatest of days is unrelenting.

And then the flight. Breath-taking is probably the best descriptor. An immense privilege to experience a genuine icon.

A once in a lifetime experience that I am determined to do again. That alone should speak volumes.

Had a phenomenal afternoon with the Aerial Collective. Safety is paramount and this was never in doubt. Highly professional, the team ensured that from initial phone contact, the experience was fun and hassle free. A very big thank you to Lisa, Jack, Joe and our pilots, Rats and Steve Jones. We were lucky enough to visit as a family group with myself and brother Stan flying, along with my great friend (of many years) Steve Jones - no, he was not the pilot, Steve Jones was. In-cockpit and external camera footage is superb!
I cannot put into words just how incredible an experience a flight in a Spitfire is. Duxford is a great venue for this, with the IWM site and very active airfield - steeped in military history. Cannot recommend this highly enough!

On arrival at Duxford I was escorted by the IWM staff to the hangar, where I received a comprehensive safety briefing. Once the paperwork was completed and further instructions on emergency procedures was completed I was suited up and introduced to my (very competent and extremely capable) pilot, Jon. He talked me through the available flight options, and asked me what I wanted out of the flight. I opted for a more dynamic flight profile, with plenty of aerobatics, including a loop, half Cuban, wing-overs, barrel rolls and of course, the iconic victory roll!
The most memorable part of my flight was to hear those three magic words, “You have control”, and just like that, I was flying a spitfire.
If you’re considering flying in an iconic warbird, and you can’t make your mind up who to fly with, I would seriously recommend these guys!

Simply outstanding from start to finish, this not only for me but my family. Up close and personally to these machines was magical. More so flying with a Messerschmitt 109. Thank Aerial Collective 😎

What a fabulous day. Access to the museum provided a great start to the day and we arrived at opening time (10am). Briefing for the flight at 13:00hrs gave a perfect amount of time in the museum, and then relaxing with the pilots and amazing staff until the flight at 15:00hrs. Everyone was fantastic and made the day exceptionally special. Communications leading up to the day were brilliant and there were plenty of those due to several Covid postponements. The pilot Stu was fantastic and the flying experience amazing.

Yet another surprised Birthday Boy here - especially I thought I was being taken to a laser clay shooting thing, and even when we pulled into Duxford assumed that we were going to look at the amazing collection of planes instead. Being presented with the voucher for a Spitfire flight that afternoon was possibly the first time that was glad I was wearing a face-mask because the mouthed expletives were unprintable..!

As for the experience itself, being told that you are about to be hurled around the skies in one of the most iconic war planes in history is enough to make most people wobbly at the knees, but the whole team at Aerial Collective put you instantly at ease and let you know that it is simply going to be fun. Friendly, enthusiastic and expert people who just want to make your day as special as possible.

The flight itself is something that will probably live with me for the rest of my days. It was not at all as I had imagined from the movies - quietly and serenely soaring among the clouds like a bird. It was actually what you might call a 'visceral experience'. Spitfires are not leisure craft, they're hugely powerful, fast and noisy 80-year-old fighting machines that throb and vibrate and smell of fuel exhaust - and if you start to throw them around in the sky at 280mph then you will be pressed into your seat with 'g' forces. Even though it made me feel slightly queasy, I loved it!

Something that the experience is bound to leave you with is a profound respect for the young lads who flew these machines in anger, and whose lives depended on them. You get just a small and highly-diluted taste of what it must have been like for them. In my case I was incredibly lucky because a Messerschidtt 109 happened to be in the air at the same time and it had been arranged (without me knowing) that it would join us to fly in close formation and then engage in a few minutes of friendly dog-fighting. Having experienced what a sock must feel like in a tumble dryer, I was able to take the controls for much of the rest of the flight (much easier than you might imagine), gingerly making lazy turns around the cumulus clouds and enjoying the scenery.

Was it worth it? I daren't even look to see what my wife paid for the whole thing, but yes it is. There are some things in life you can't put a price on, and something that you will be able to relive awake and asleep for the rest of your days has to be one of them.

Tips? Buy the video. Yes it's another 100 quid, but you'll want to show it to anybody who will sit still long enough to watch it - and it'll be the only piece of hard evidence you'll have that the whole thing wasn't a dream.

In a long career with the RAF I have been lucky to fly in a huge variety of a/c and enjoyed them all. The surprise Birthday present of a flight in a Spitfire was a long held dream made true. From the moment of arrival everyone at Aerial Collective made us all so welcome and ensured the day was enjoyed by my wife and two son's, whilst I launched into the blue with Brian to experience the wonder of the Merlin powered silky smooth Spitfire. I'm still smiling even now and if I ever feel blue I can always roll the film of the flight and re-live that beautiful day and the whole experience again. Thanks Lisa, Jack and pilot Brian

The whole team went out of their way to make this such a special day. From the pre flight phone calls to my wife who booked this for my 60 th birthday to the day of the flight. The attention to detail on the day was excellent. The pre flight briefing was concise and factual, once over my nerves had evaporated. Paul my pilot was just everything you could ask for. Bags of charisma and enthusiasm. Paul’s trust in me, allowing me to take the controls of the Spitfire made the day. Some basic flying followed by a couple of barrel rolls, WOW! Such an unbelievable experience! My guess is Paul was only going to hand control to the passenger if he is confident in their abilities so having had some glider experience helped in my case.
This was truly a 5 star experience. Not one shrouded in fizz, sparkles and platitudes of have a nice day but a REAL live once in a lifetime brilliant experience with the wind, engine noise and aviation fuel smells all part of the enjoyment.
If you want a special day all the family can enjoy, get up and personal with one of the 30 or so flying Spitfires, be treated brilliantly and have caring and knowledgeable people looking after you then book a flight with aerialcollective.co.uk . You will remember it forever and regret it never.

Sadly after saving. I have had to cancel my Husbands experience to fly a spitfire, due to the covid-19 nightmare. But I must say. Lisa’s customer service from the start has been outstanding. When I am able too, I will definitely rebook with them again. Thank you Lisa x

What an amazing present for my 50th birthday. Flying a Spitfire!
Thanks to Lisa who was so friendly and looked after my kids on the ground making it an experience we could all enjoy! Thanks also to my pilot Paul Bonhomme, who was just fantastic in every way. I highly recommend to anyone...

I am a private pilot so was looking forward to this experience. I can say that this was the most enjoyable experience in my flying career. I wanted to experience the power and maneuverability of a Spitfire and I was not disappointed. John, my plane commander, allowed me to take the controls for as long as I wanted. He took us on a route to see much of the English countryside and WWII battlefield areas. We did out flyby of the field upon our return and I am still smiling over the entire experience. The comments I got from two of my family members, both former Navy pilots, made my experience even more enjoyable. I'm still beaming.

Lisa was fantastic to deal with - she understood the issues regarding a flight for a terminally ill individual and worked with us every step of the way.
In the end, the flight could sadly not go ahead, but the problem lay with us and not Aerial Collective. I cannot recommend these guys highly enough - book with confidence for a 5* service

Everything about this experience was wonderful, my father-in-law had the time of his life flying a real Spitfire aircraft. The experience worth every penny and it exceeded all our expectations. My father-in-law even had the chance to take control of the aircraft for a good amount of time, so this was absolutely fantastic!

Hannah was informative and really really nice and provided kind guidance every time we needed. On the scheduled day, she organised everything so we can have the best possible experience. We were always in contact and she even helped us getting from and back to the train station. Furthermore, the staff is very kind, positive and uplifting (literally). Lisa took good care of us and she kindly shared her passion for airplanes, while Charlie, our lovely pilot, was the best person to share this experience with.

This is probably the best gift you can offer your loved one. Thank you so much for this lovely experience! Forever grateful :)

A perfect day from start to finish.
Hannah made us very welcome attending to our needs. The briefing with Joe was full and interesting with a nice relaxed feel and then ensuring i was good to go in the Spitfire.
John the pilot was exactly what you would expect,confident calm and reassuring with a nice bit of humour to go with it.
The flight was fantastic and taking the controls just made it perfect.
A great day a great team and would recommend it to anyone