Fighter jet rides for civilians?

airguy

airguy

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airguy
So I know a lot of people, but unfortunately not the right people with that kind of pull. My wife has it on her "bucket list" to be able to take a ride in a fighter (preferably an F14 but that's negotiable) and I'm wondering if there is a place in the domestic US where these rides can be purchased? I know you can go outside the US (and some places inside) and fly in a former Soviet bird, but is there anybody flying US-made birds for hire?
 
Well, Greg Morris over at Gauntlet Warbirds will do one in an L-39. Not a US aircraft, but at least it's IN the US! Right now he's at Edwards AFB teaching in his T-6 at USAF Test Pilot School. Note, though, that she has to have at least a Private Pilot certificate.

BTW, I understand that there aren't any F-14s in private hands now. So, without military or press connections, it may be very difficult to get a ride in one.
 
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Well, not quite a fighter, but there are a few places around the US where you can get a ride in an L-39 for around $3,000. These are the most common "jet fighter-type" rides availabe in the US.

Someone probably has a A- or T-37 out there somewhere, and I think I've heard of a couple T-38s being run in civilian hands too.


Jeff
 
Dave, it looks like they have the same restriction on needing to be a current pilot.
 
airguy said:
So I know a lot of people, but unfortunately not the right people with that kind of pull. My wife has it on her "bucket list" to be able to take a ride in a fighter (preferably an F14 but that's negotiable) and I'm wondering if there is a place in the domestic US where these rides can be purchased? I know you can go outside the US (and some places inside) and fly in a former Soviet bird, but is there anybody flying US-made birds for hire?
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I know there is a place in southern California, I can find out the details. Not sure what kind of fighter jet, or if it is American but my mom bought my dad a ride in one several years ago. I keep trying to convince her to get me one.
 
The only place in the world flying F-14's is Iran, and I don't think she wants to ride with them. When we retired them, all our parts went to the scrapyard or to put 14's on sticks somewhere. (Don't want the black market to get those parts and end up in Iran).

Good luck.
 
Not american but there's 2 SU-27s privately owned in the US and I imagine that's a hell of a ride. Rent a Ferrari and find out who they are, pile on a fake Rolex and "show some interest". :)
 
I once saw the Collins Foundation auction off a back seat ride of their F-4. The ride was a cross country to an airshow. It went ,IIRC, for $15000.

As a former F-4 backseater I was blown away by that. It just goes to show that you really don't know what you've got till its gone.
 
EvilEagle said:
The only place in the world flying F-14's is Iran, and I don't think she wants to ride with them. When we retired them, all our parts went to the scrapyard or to put 14's on sticks somewhere. (Don't want the black market to get those parts and end up in Iran).

Good luck.
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Iran "has" some tomcats, but I wonder how many of them are still flyable today?

Combat Aircraft Vol 7 No 6 (April, 2006):

1. The total number of F-14A in Iranian AF now: 56
2. The number of flyable F-14A in Iranian AF now: 44
3. The number of operational F-14A in Iranian AF now: 29
4. Iranian new weapons for F-14:
a. Fatter WVRAAM.
b. Sedjil BVRAAM (Modification from Hawk SAM).
c. Yasser air-to-ground missile (Combination of M-117 bomb and Hawk missile).
d. Self-restraint AIM-54 BVRAAM (Development had been finished in 2003, and about 30 missiles was built in 2005).​
5. Iran bought 270 AIM-54 from USA in 1970s, and about 40% of them was still useful in 1999.
 
gprellwitz said:
Dave, it looks like they have the same restriction on needing to be a current pilot.
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AFAIK, most of the jet outfits have that restriction because of FAA regs on carrying pax in experimental aircraft. Even Collings Foundation was running into a problem a couple years ago and I am not sure they are still offering pax rides in their jets - best to call them, but as someone else pointed out, the Collings jets ain't cheap. They quoted me something like $8k/hour for the TA-4J.....I said I'll go fly the T-33 at SAF.
 
Jeff Oslick said:
Well, not quite a fighter, but there are a few places around the US where you can get a ride in an L-39 for around $3,000. These are the most common "jet fighter-type" rides availabe in the US.
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Jet Warbirds at SAF is $2550/hr in the L39, $2650 for the T-33 or $1650 for the L-29 or Fouga.
 
Find somebody with an old Lear24. Wait for a cold day. Put on minimum fuel to have the weight as low as possible. It's not a fighter, but the performance will sure get your attention. It won't cost a fortune and I have heard that aerobatics are possible.
 
Not quite what you wanted but I saw a video of a place that gives 30 minute mustang rides. It was linked to in a thread on POA (they were selling raffle tickets so you could win the flight). Plus the video shows him letting the pilot / passenger fly the plane, do aerobatics, and most of the landing too.
 
My Dad flew F100 in the Air Force in the late 1950s-1960s. Twenty years ago or so, one of his Air Force flying buddies wanted my Dad to go in with him to buy an F100 that was available. My Dad declined, but that would have been fun!

My parents now live in Florida, and over Christmas, we saw this. I think he said it is a Czech L-39.
 

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kimberlyanne546 said:
Not quite what you wanted but I saw a video of a place that gives 30 minute mustang rides. It was linked to in a thread on POA (they were selling raffle tickets so you could win the flight). Plus the video shows him letting the pilot / passenger fly the plane, do aerobatics, and most of the landing too.
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Saw that - and that's the ride I want to take. My silly wife wants something that burns Jet-A, she has no clue... :dunno:
 
It wasn't training, but my wife and I got married in a pair of British Provost jets over LAL. Did the vows thing over the radio. It was a blast.
 
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