It’s destination Melbourne Airfield in East Yorkshire for a spot of gyrocopter flying! Take to the skies near York for a thrilling flight in a closed-cockpit gyroplane to see just how much fun these amazing little flying machines are.
Your host for these gyroplane flights is David Beevers. He has gyroplane flying in his family blood with a long history going back more than three decades. Back in the day gyroplanes were innovative to the point of being rather precarious-looking flying gadgets and gizmos unlike the sophisticated and stable aircraft they are today. Ask David about those early gyro days at Melbourne he’s got lots of stories to tell!
Today David flies the Magni 24. This fully-enclosed gyroplane is a modern aircraft with a side by side rather than tandem seating configuration so the cockpit resembles a typical light aircraft. Indeed it’s just as mind-boggling to the uninitiated with a plethora of levers dials and buttons. But worry not all will become clear with David’s excellent tuition.
In fact David knows his gyroplane like the back of his hand as he’s also a test pilot. And many hours in the air above East Yorkshire means he knows this whole area well too. So when you take off on your gyroplane lesson expect a bit of sightseeing tour too which could well take in the likes of historic York city and the pretty local villages and farms on the way too.
Melbourne Airfield itself is also steeped in history having been a heavy bomber command unit during the Second World War. Also known as Melrose Farm the flat Yorkshire meadowland was singled out by the RAF and three hard runways were constructed here. As you make your final approach to land in your gyrocopter see if you can spot the original control tower which has been restored and now houses a small museum dedicated to Melbourne.
We are offering both 30 and 60 minute lessons with David in his smart Magni 24 gyrocopter out of Melbourne Airfield. On both flight durations there’ll be plenty of time for you to have a go at the controls as well as seeing some aerial lovely views of all that East Yorkshire has to offer.
