Earn your (virtual) four stripes when you captain this flight simulator in Derbyshire! Just north of Mansfield & over the border into Derbyshire is where you'll find this professional Boeing 737-800 flight simulator. & although you might only be a virtual airline pilot it is all very very realistic. The flight deck is just like a real Boeing cockpit & with the full 220 degree wrap around screen & High Definition graphic software you'll believe you are actually there sitting on stand at somewhere like London's Heathrow Airport. The simulator itself might not move but for the aviation geeks amongst you this realistic flight simulator has motorised throttle & moving trim wheels fully functioning PFDs (that's Primary Flight Displays) hydraulics electrics APU (that's the Auxiliary Power Unit) bleed air oxygen & pressurisation systems. Oh & then there's the fully working FMC (Flight Management Computer) & MCP (that's the autopilot). Who'd have thought an airline pilot's life would be filled with so many three-letter acronyms to remember before they've even flown anywhere? Indeed stepping up to the flight deck & into the left hand captain's seat if you ever thought pilot's had a easy life with their feet up whilst the autopilot did all the hard work think again. As the precious cargo of passengers are boarding the captain & first officer are busy doing route briefings entering the data into the Flight Management Computer & executing a pre-flight checklist. What we love about these simulated flight sessions in Derbyshire is that on the longer experiences you will follow those airline Standard Operating Procedures (yes you guessed it
- SOPs!). That means you get to do all those critical checks & controls before you 'take off' & again when you have completed your landing checks & given the cabin crew the 'doors to arrival & crosscheck' comm&. You get a complete insight into what a typical 'day at the office for a Boeing driver' involves. Of course if you want an atypical day in the life of a pilot this flight simulator in Derbyshire can be programmed to replicate scenarios such as a series of air pockets (that's turbulence to you & us) flying in a holding stack awaiting clearance to land or even an in-fight emergency & divert to the nearest airport. It doesn't happen very often but it's all in a day's work for a (virtual) airline pilot!
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For a biplane experience with an American feel we can highly recommend a Stearman flight in Kent! This open cockpit biplane by Boeing is a proper throwback to the heady days of aviation when young pilots were learning the art of flying just before during & after the second world war broke out. We are offering 30 or 60 minute fights in this wonderful Stearman out of Pent Farm in Kent. This is a charming private airstrip that occupies a very secluded spot in the midst of the Kentish Downs
- ideal for your first flying experience in a biplane. Tucked away in the village of Postling you'd be forgiven for thinking only sheep roam these fields but look more closely & you'll see a nice little collection of modern light aircraft & vintage old boys like this Stearman enjoying the the quietness of this green & very pleasant Pent Farm. Just imagine the thrill of not only taking off in an old school biplane but also experiencing those incredible views during your flight. As you get airborne look down at the patchwork of fields below as you head out towards the sea around Folkestone or head in land to the towns & villages of this most picturesque part of the Garden of Engl&. And what a plane to experience those great views in! This Stearman first flew in 1942 when she was used by the US Navy. By 1957 she was in civilian hands before being refurbished as a crop duster in the 1970s. Following retirement from working duties N4467N got shipped to the UK in 1991 & became G-BTFG. She now enjoys a renewed career offering tail wheel training to pilots & trial flights for aviation fans wanting to experience flying in a biplane. As for the team that operates & runs this flying school all the instructor pilots are highly qualified. All hold commercial licences & amongst them are biz jet pilots so you can be rest assured you'll be in very skilled & safe hands for your biplane experience
- even if it is as removed from a modern Boeing airliner as you could imagine! Your Stearman flight out of Kent's Pent Farm will last 30 or 60 minutes. As well as your flight time you will have an on the ground briefing & safety session including a walk around the aircraft. As this is a tandem plane you will be sitting up front with the pilot behind for this biplane experience. As well as enjoying the views you will be given the chance to have a title fly by yourself of this historic plane.

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Steam trains & spice on the Bombay Express curry train in Staffordshire ...

Learn to work livestock with a whistle on this wonderful Border Collie experience day! Collies make the perfect sheepdog & on this full day session in the Leicestershire countryside you'll find out just how man & beast work together. These experiences are led by the internationally renowned Border Collie trainer handler & author Nij Vyas. Having competed in his first sheepdog trials in 1992 Nij is an experienced hand when it comes to working with his prized Border Collies. In 2017 Nij & his dog Todd where part of the five-strong England team that won the team event at the World Sheepdog Trials in the Netherlands. Of course using dogs to herd livestock isn't just a sport it's a proper working way of life on the farm & this day course will lift the lid on the roles everyone plays. First up is meeting the doggies. Always up for working always full of energy Border Collies love their role as a farmer's sheepdog. During your experience today you might meet the young buck Jak... ...

A delicious bottomless brunch in Manchester with cool tunes & friendly vibes
- what could be better? Available on Saturdays & Sundays
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Get your rotors in a spin with these high-flying helicopter rides over Bournemouth! These 20 minute flights give you an unparalleled view of Bournemouth's beaches & Dorset's beautiful coastline as well as being a fantastic experience for any chopper enthusiast. Taking off from the helicopter base at Bournemouth International Airport these flights will take you up & over the local shoreline & harbour of Poole & show you the full glory of Art Deco towns like Boscombe & Bournemouth itself. All the helicopter flights are led by experienced pilots & the base itself is fully CAA (Civil Aviation Authority) approved. The centre offers two models of helicopter for your flight above Bournemouth: a six-seater AS350 single squirrel & a four-seater Robinson R44. The squirrel allows for up to five passengers in addition to the pilot & is one of the most popular turbine engine helicopter models. The Robinson provides seats for three flight participants & is the best-selling helicopter in the world with a piston engine which can actually outstrip many of its turbine counterparts. The flight path on the 20 minute excursion covers a surprising distance & is a great way to appreciate the splendour of some of these tourist spa towns from a bygone era & the pilot will be sure to point out key landmarks such as the Winter Gardens Pavilion Theatre & of course the famous pier. These thrilling helicopter flights out of Bournemouth also take in the luxury houses of the Sandbanks peninsula home to the rich & famous. See if you can spot the multi-million pound boats & cruisers moored in the marina
- sadly you'll be too high up to get a good look at any of the multi-millionaire occupants! Those on the 30 minute tour will enjoy all these sights before heading further afield to hover over the likes of Corfe Castle & Studland Bay both located on the Isle of Purbeck. But the highlight of this extended tour has to be swooping around Old Harry Rocks to look down on those majestic chalk formations jutting out form the sea. Simply stunning! This rotary ride is the perfect way for any chopper buff & even if you're not seeing this unique south coast scenery from the air is an experience not to be missed. Take one of our helicopter flights in Bournemouth & see the south coast like never before with these whirling airborne excursions.
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If you fancy flinging an MX5 around head to Brands Hatch & go drifting! Going fast in a straight line is great fun but sliding sideways around a bend at serious speed is just out of this world. It takes skill concentration & maybe a bit of beginner's luck for these amazing experiences in Kent. First up we must mention the instructing team at this Brands Hatch school. To give you an idea of the calibre of this Kentish school Chief instructor Kenny Lam is known as the grandfather of British drifting. & head honcho Rich Newton has many many years of experience judging drifting competitions (no pressure to try & impress him then!). As for the cars we're talking Mazda MX5s. Various upgraded bits & bobs mean these little sports cars are nothing like the ones you see cruising the High Street. Maintaining & running a drift car takes a lot of money & mechanical skill. The tyres are changed more often than you've had hot dinners
- & that's hardly surprising after the likes of Mr Lam & Mr Newton have been playing for a few hours. We are offering you the Adrenaline Drifting experience which gives small groups of five drivers a great introduction to drifting with around 20 minutes individual drive time in total. The Drift Training is more intense & you can choose between 1.5hrs of individual teaching time on the 1:1 experience or join a four-hour small group session for four. The action all happens in & around a zoned off area of the paddocks. You'll start by learning the basics where you'll get a feel for the sensation of swinging the car out. Then you'll move on to mastering handbrake usage throttle balance & counter steer before taking it one step further to do full corner drifts at Brands Hatch. How cool is that! Be it one-to-one or in a small group you'll have plenty of time to get sliding & tyre screeching. We totally see the attraction of going to Brands hatch drifting
- it's seat of your pants stuff for sure & there's nothing like getting the knack of the sideways drift action that just looks so stylish.

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Get your dough & mixing skills up to scratch with these baking lessons! Want to learn about bread & making it yourself? Always fancied creating some of those more unusual breads? Well these two hour sessions will immerse you into the wonderfully warming world of freshly baked breads
- after all who can deny how tantalising that aroma of fresh bread in the oven is? Now you might think it's all very time consuming making your own loaves at home. We suspect this is what puts a lot of people off & gets them reaching for the sliced white on the supermarket shelves. On the contrary in fact as this lesson will show you. With the correct ingredients & the right technique you can whizz up a loaf in no time at all without the need for kneading in many cases. In fact the expert bread-makers who run these lessons have all got a very effective if slightly unconventional approach to making & baking their bread but once the method has been demonstrated to you you'll be itching to giv...
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Welsh borders classic car tours
- time to break for the border! These fab full-day tours will see you drive five fantastic cars
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This is the UK's first commercial bridge bungee jump & what a bridge it is!   The iconic transporter bridge in Middlesbrough was

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