Fast jet thrills with your PPL

Hands up please all those PPL holders who have dreamt about flying a military fast jet? Sitting in a bubble canopy with the engine behind you, stick and throttle in hand and the English countryside rolling past as you cut through the air, is an ambition harboured by nearly all of us.

Surprisingly, this kind of flying is now within reach of PPL holders thanks to jet syndicates such as Where Eagles Share (WES), based at North Weald just north of London. LOOP visited the group this month to find out exactly how its members are maximising the use of their PPLs without maxxing out their bank accounts.

Chief Pilot Mark Grimshaw, 37, believes WES has the right model to make jet flying accessible to all. "Ten years ago, jet aviation was so out of reach. The thing is, it's now become possible to do this. It doesn't matter where you've come from or what you've done before to join us."
The group currently flies two aircraft, a Jet Provost Mk 3, the least expensive to run and most suitable for initial training, and a Mk 5 Jet Provost, a more powerful version to allow development of members as well as additional speed and sophistication.

Syndicate member, Marco Bussandri, 38, dispels the myth that you have to be extremely rich: "We're from all walks of life. It's not snooty or anything," he says. "Iâm careful with my finances and can fly twice a month. I know friends who spend more on fags and booze!"
If you're wondering whether you've got the right stuff to fly something like a Jet Provost, then Grimshaw, with 300 hours on type, is reassuring. "It's not difficult to do but it's fun learning to do it well."

Bussandri, with 13 hours, adds: "It takes a lot of mental exercise. You've got to memorise a lot. But you don't want to strap yourself to a three-ton pocket rocket and not know what you're doing! It's all about knowing the numbers."
So with jet flying appearing to be well within the bounds of the average PPL holder, and with training from some welcoming and encouraging ex-RAF pilots, the thrills WES members get in return are immense.

Clive  44, had his first trial flight just four weeks ago and told LOOP, "I had a grin right from when I pressed the starter button to well into the following day." Another recent member Duncan Fraser, 28, is now four flights into his training and enthuses: "It's extremely agile. The thing you really notice is that you actually have to pull gâ to make it turn!"

After getting the basic handling nailed,  members can then expect to go solo after the 25-hour mark. Stephen Broadbent, 44, recently passed 30 hours on the JP and described his first solo: "It's a grin factor of ten when you're on your own. You think, it's now down to me."

And when members finally get past that first solo milestone, they can really begin to open up the envelope on jet flying. Mark Fitzgerald, 29, now has 70 hours and explored the aerobatic qualities of the JP right from his first flight: "The best thing for me is the aerobatics. It's really a step up with a jet," he says. "You just park the throttle forward and everything happens that bit quicker with lots more g force."

The excitement still remains for many of the syndicate's long-standing members like  47-year-old Robin Tye who has over 100 hours in JPs. "The Mk 3 is the female. You have to suggest, hint and cajole it whereas the Mk 5 is brutish, aggressive and it tries to get away from you," he says.

There's no getting away from the lasting effect jet flying will have on you. Whilst LOOP was at North Weald, 40-year-old graphic designer, David Thomas got his first ever taste of flying and said as he clambered out of the cockpit: "I wasn't even expecting to go up today. The exhilaration is going to last a long time," he said, still dazed from the flight. "I'm one of those who'll try anything once and you've GOT to do this to find out what it's like."

HOW DOES THE SYNDICATE WORK?
The Eagles syndicate is a development of experiences gained over the last few years. Cost of entry for new members is £4000, which purchases you a share in the company and equity in the aircraft owned by the company. It also allows you to use both the Mk3 and Mk5 aircraft.
The operation of the group will not involve onerous currency or training requirements, but they will ensure that your jet flying will be fun and enjoyable, but most of all safe.

There are two options available for the payment of monthly fees. Either £120 per month plus £120 per sortie flown plus fuel or £235 per month plus fuel. Fuel for an hour sortie costs £200 to £300 depending on how 'throttle heavy' you are. All in all, you're looking at jet flying for £435 a month!
That also includes use of the Eagles' luxurious briefing room, lounge and kitchen facilities, professional training and WES says there should be no surprises on maintenance costs except under extraordinary circumstances.

Robin Tye
Age: 47
Job: Vice-President, IBM
WES member for: 3 years 
Flying experience: Over 450 hours
Jet Provost hours: Over 100
What do you like most about being in WES?
"I love taking people up in the JP and introducing them to jet flying for the first time. It's quiet and smooth which really surprises people. It's quite different from what you imagine from the mayhem of all the noise outside but in the cockpit it's calm and serene."

Mark Grimshaw
Age: 37
Job: MD Telecoms Company
WES member for: 3 years 
Flying experience: CPL 1500 hours fixed and 250 rotary
Jet Provost hours: 300
What's your most memorable and exciting jet flying moment?
"Arriving at Waddington last year in formation with a Hunter and doing a run in and break!"

Duncan Fraser
Age: 28
Job: Credit Derivative Trader
WES member for: One month 
Flying experience: PPL 97 hours
Jet Provost hours: 4
What do you like about the JP?
"I like the military feel of it. The cockpit is all green and black unlike in civilian aircraft. I also like the way you sit very upright."

Stephen Broadbent
Age: 44
Job: Owns a welding business
TWES member for: 2 years
Flying Experience: PPL 300 hours
Jet Provost hours: 30
What do you get out of flying jets?
"It's the sense of achievement with making the progression from piston aircraft to a jet."

Clive Perry
Age: 44
Job: Dentist
WES member for: Just joined! 
Flying experience: PPL 350 hours
Jet Provost hours: 1
Why did you join WES?
"If I had any regrets it's that I'd never flown a jet. When I discovered there were these crazy guys flying jets, I had to do it."

Mark Fitzgerald
Age: 29
Job: MD Telecoms Company
WES member for: 2 years 
Flying experience: PPL(A) and PPL(H) 500 hours
Jet provost hours: 70
What's so good about WES?
"It's an amazing deal even compared to the running costs of a Cessna. What you get is incomparable. It's such a good set up here at North Weald with no landing fees and on site maintenance."

Marco Bussandri
Age: 38
Job: Software Sales
WES member for:
Flying experience: PPL
Jet Provost hours:
Most memorable jet experience?
"Funnily enough it was today. I punched through a hole in the cloud and it felt like it was just me and the clouds and the aircraft wasn't even there. It was totally liberating."

WORDS: Dan Tye
PHOTOS: Dave Spurdens