Classic warbird flight experiences
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Fly with the Hawker Hurricane

Fly with the Hawker Hurricane

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2026 Flights

ABOUT THE WING MAN FLIGHT £2200.00

 

Bespoke Warbird experience ✈️ ~ Best value vintage warbird flights

The closest you’ll ever get to the Battle of Britain.

This is the flight of a lifetime, with a Hurricane on your wing.

You’ll fly in the Harvard “Wacky Wabbit” for 15 unforgettable minutes, but this is no ordinary warbird experience. Around five minutes into your flight, a legendary Hawker Hurricane will slide alongside you, close enough to study every rivet, before peeling away and rolling gracefully over the top of your aircraft to show off its full silhouette from every angle. We have all seen the Hurricane sitting still in a museum, quiet and grounded. Very few people ever get to see it doing what it was built to do: hunting the sky, wing to wing, alive with the same power and grace that defended Britain’s skies in 1940. For those few minutes, you will not just be a passenger. You’ll be flying formation with history itself.

Meet the Hurricane: V7497 “Hurricane 501”

V7497 is a Hawker Hurricane Mk I that flew with 501 Squadron during the Battle of Britain in 1940. After being shot down over Kent, she lay lost for decades before being recovered and painstakingly restored to flying condition. Today she flies in her 501 Squadron colours, a living tribute to the pilots and ground crews of that summer. She is flown by the Hurricane 501 team’s experienced display pilots, who show her at airshows across the country.

Your day

  • Arrival and welcome: meet the team at Peterborough Conington with tea and coffee, and get your first look at both aircraft on the flight line. You will be shown the Harvard and the Hurricane and have time to sit in both for photographs and briefing.
  • Briefing: your pilot will talk you through the flight, the formation work and what to expect, followed by a walk-around of the Harvard you’ll be flying in.
  • Strap in: climb into the Harvard, the aircraft that trained thousands of Allied pilots before they went on to fly Spitfires and Hurricanes.
  • Hands on: once airborne, your pilot will show you how the Harvard handles, then hand over the controls so you can fly her yourself.
  • The Hurricane joins: for around 15 minutes V7497, flown by one of the Hurricane 501 team’s display pilots, will close in and fly in formation with you, then give chase across the Cambridgeshire sky. It’s the view a 1940 pilot would have had of his wingman.
  • Free Video: You will have a free HD video that will capture this magical flight. The camera will point directly at you and a second camera will filf to the right of the aircraft and capture the Hurricane in flight.
  • On the radio: listen in throughout as the two pilots and air traffic control coordinate the formation.
  • Aerobatics: weather permitting, your pilot can finish with some aerobatics in the Harvard. Having flown with the Hurricane it would be prudent to experience a victory roll
  • Back on the ground: the Hurricane’s display pilot will show you around V7497 up close, with time for photos of you with the aircraft.
  • Extra time: If you would like extra time you can book this on the day or even in the air, we have various extra flight packages you can purchase.

Additional information

  • Flight time is 30 minutes in total, chock to chock, with around 15 minutes in company with the Hurricane.
  • Allow around three hours for the whole experience.
  • You’re welcome to stay on afterwards and enjoy the airfield.
  • Aerobatics and formation work depend on the weather on the day.

The closest you’ll ever get to the Battle of Britain.

This is the flight of a lifetime, with a Hurricane on your wing.

Just as it did during the war, the Hurricane will scramble from Duxford to meet you in the air. You’ll fly in the Harvard “Wacky Wabbit” for 10 to 20 unforgettable minutes, but this is no ordinary warbird experience. Around five minutes into your flight, that legendary Hawker Hurricane will slide alongside you, close enough to study every rivet, before peeling away and rolling gracefully over the top of your aircraft to show off its full silhouette from every angle.

We have all seen the Hurricane sitting still in a museum, quiet and grounded. Very few people ever get to see it doing what it was built to do: hunting the sky, wing to wing, alive with the same power and grace that defended Britain’s skies in 1940.

For those few minutes, you will not just be a passenger. You’ll be flying formation with history itself.

And this isn’t just a ride. Once you’re safely airborne and clear of the circuit, the controls become yours. You will take the stick of the Harvard and actually fly the machine yourself, feeling the same responsive handling that made it the RAF’s chosen advanced trainer for a generation of Spitfire and Hurricane pilots.

T6 Harvard LtdWhile you fly, the Hurricane keeping station on your wing carries a story most people never hear. Though the Spitfire took the glory and the headlines, it was the humble Hurricane that did the heavy lifting during the Battle of Britain. Tougher, more numerous, and easier to repair after battle damage, the Hurricane accounted for more enemy aircraft destroyed than every other form of British air defence combined, responsible for shooting down around 60% of all Luftwaffe losses during the battle. It was the unsung workhorse that held the line when Britain stood alone, and today, it is one of the rarest warbirds left flying anywhere in the world.

To take the controls of a Harvard, scrambled Hurricane at your wingtip just as it would have been in 1940, is not something you will find anywhere else. It’s a front row seat, and the pilot’s seat, in one of the most remarkable stories in aviation history.

t6 harvard ltdDesigned by Sir Sydney Camm in the mid-1930s, this robust monoplane entered service in December 1937 and became the first RAF aircraft capable of flying over 300 mph. While it is frequently overshadowed by the more glamorous Supermarine Spitfire, the Hurricane was the backbone of Britain’s aerial defence during the nation’s darkest hours.

Built around a traditional wood and fabric covered frame over a steel tube structure, the Hurricane was easier and faster to produce than the all metal Spitfire, and far simpler to repair after combat damage, meaning squadrons could get damaged aircraft back in the air within days rather than weeks. This practical toughness, combined with a wide, stable undercarriage that made it forgiving to fly and land, meant Hurricanes could be pushed back into the fight again and again throughout the summer of 1940.

By the height of the Battle of Britain, Hurricanes outnumbered Spitfires in RAF Fighter Command by nearly two to one, and it was Hurricane squadrons that met the majority of incoming Luftwaffe bomber formations head on. Steady, hard hitting and available in far greater numbers, the Hurricane is credited with shooting down more enemy aircraft than any other type during the battle, quietly doing the work that ultimately kept Britain in the war.