No. Your booking time is the time of your briefing. We like to start the briefings as promptly as possible, so we’d kindly advise that you arrive five to ten minutes early. The total time you need to allow is 1.5 hours. Even for a 20 minute flight you will be spending at last 40 mins in the aircraft by the time we strap you in, start, taxi and takeoff.

You need to be comfortable with the fact we must help you strap into the parachute and aircraft. The crew will wear a face mask if you deem this necessary. You will be in a separate cockpit spaced approx 1 metre from the pilot during the flight. Your headset is cleaned with a sanicom before and after use. Your cockpit and parachute is cleaned with a surface spray prior to your flight.

Whilst we do state that you can be accompanied by one friend or family member, we advise that it is best that only the participant flying attends the briefing. It allows you to concentrate on the briefing and prevents interruptions.

You don’t have to stick to the route or plan suggested on our website. The suggested route has been designed to demonstrate the beautiful surroundings of the location we fly from. However, if you’d prefer to fly to a specific location, you can, provided the area we intend on flying to is not inside restricted airspace (both permanent and/temporary), is clear of built up areas, is not beyond gliding distance of land, that there is suitable visibility and no clouds that could restrict us from operating at a safe altitude and that we can achieve the route within the flight time.

The Yak is not dual control but that means you can sit back and relax and just enjoy the experience of flying in the best low level fighter of WW II. Your pilot will talk you through all the maneuvers as they are flown to give you an appreciation for just how good this aeroplane is. You’ll feel that you have wings on your shoulders.

The aircraft is pretty warm even in winter. We have a big V-12 heater up front after all and you’ll be wearing a parachute. We would recommend that a T-shirt or shirt shorts/jeans/chinos/chords are worn in summer. In winter another layer such as a sweat top will suffice. Natural fibres are preferable. Covered shoes are compulsory winter or summer.

In a word Yes. Every effort and no expense has been spared to ensure that you can hear and communicate with your pilot as best as possible but it is a noisy environment. Our headsets have in-built noise cancelling technology. Whilst effective, the system will not mute the sound of the Allison engine! It remains very loud (especially during take-off) and those with hearing difficulty may struggle to hear communications from the pilot when the aircraft is at certain power settings during the flight, that’s part of the experience.

This aircraft was designed as a fighter interceptor. The Yak is fast and highly maneuverable. Small, easily handled G-forces may be incurred during normal flight. We will always endeavor to keep these forces during general handling to a minimum.

We thoroughly recommend experiencing aerobatics as there are no fighter aircraft better at this than the Yak 3. This will be discussed with you prior to your flight and prior to aerobatics, it is completely up to you. Many maneuvers can be undertaken at quite low G-forces. To explain this further, while standing on the earth, we are subjected to 1G permanently. It is holding us to the ground. When flying straight and level, we would also be subjected to 1G. No different to being on the ground. There are some aerobatic maneuvers that can be undertaken at close to 1G. The famous ‘Barrel Roll’ is one of them. It’s a very gentle maneuver whereby the aircraft will climb and roll simultaneously resulting in a dynamic and enjoyable aerobatic maneuver, all conducted at close to 1G! Loops will incur a higher G-force due to the amount of energy required to dive, climb and recover to a straight and level attitude. Loops can usually be flown at no more than 3G. Whilst all aerobatic maneuvers will incur some form of G-force, we would always encourage our guests to go upside down in a Yak 3 at least once!

Yes the Yak 3 is built like a bridge and is almost brand new having been fully overhauled over 4 years ending in 2012. Full Noise is 27 years young and as of May 2020 has flown only 350 hours. The aircraft is certified under Civil Aviation rules as a

Special Category Aircraft. This means it is not certified like a production aircraft like a Cessna 172. A properly overhauled and maintained Warbird is perfectly safe. You will be required to sign a passenger waiver form stating that you are aware you are flying in a Special Category aircraft.

There is no maximum age restriction as long as you are young at heart. The minimum age we can accept is 16 with parental or a guardian’s consent. Typically, we fly those who are 18 or above.

Our height restriction is 6’5” or 196 cm. It does depend to some extent on whether you are long in the leg or body. There is no minimum height, we will adjust the seat height so you have the best view.

Our weight restriction is usually 130 kg or 286 lb, however we can adjust the fuel load to operate at higher weights. Please get in touch if this would be needed. There is no minimum weight.

General health should be reasonable enough to take a commercial flight or to have a flight experience in a light aircraft. With regard to physical health, our guests are required to enter and exit the aircraft with minimum assistance. Please imagine getting in and out of the bath for a fairly accurate comparison. We do have steps available to assist. It is a legal requirement that you sign a form stating that ‘You must be physically capable of entering and exiting the aircraft, including under emergency conditions and that you must declare all medical conditions that may have an impact on the flight’.

For their own safety and the safety of the aircraft we cannot fly people who are;

Legally blind

Deaf

Mentally disabled Physically disabled.

If you meet the requirements above and are physically fit enough to enter and exit the aircraft in an emergency, you are fit to fly. However, if you are concerned about your physical health and flying in Full Noise, we would encourage you to request a Doctor’s note explaining that you are fit to fly with us. Before you fly, you will be asked to sign an indemnity form declaring you are fit to fly.

No. No unauthorized items are permitted in the aircraft. The Yak 3 doesn’t have a conventional floor. Items can be dropped into the bottom of the fuselage and restrict flight controls and control cables. The flight will be recorded by our fixed position video cameras. We record all flights. A video of your flight can be purchased. Your pilot will also take a photo (big smile compulsory) at no cost.

 If the weather or airfield conditions are unsuitable or for any reason the aircraft or pilot becomes unavailable you will be given the option of rebooking your flight on a more suitable day. Should you not be available for another flight you will receive a full refund.

 We ask that you contact us as soon as possible to rebook your flight. If on the day of your flight, you choose not to go ahead, we will charge an admin fee of 200 + GST.

Graeme will normally fly the Yak 3, that’s why he bought it. If he is unavailable due to work commitments then Ryan will gladly take the reigns. Both pilots are well versed in giving you the ultimate fighter experience.

After your flight you can view a portion of the video which can be purchased at additional cost. You will receive a flight certificate signed by your pilot. T-shirts, hats and prints are also available for purchase.

Not to worry as we record/video every flight. We will show you a preview of the footage after your flight.You can purchase the raw footage via SD card for $150 after your flight.

On the very rare occasion that a video camera fails in-flight and you have pre-purchased it, you will be entitled to a full refund of the video payment only.

Yes we will be happy to put your video together for you. This can take up to two weeks to go through processing and to be emailed to you via WeTransfer, an online large file delivery system. Due to the size of the file, we do not save the file to a USB or a DVD. The cost of a processed video is $250.

Full payment is required prior to flying. We prefer an online bank transfer though credit card facilities are available on the day at the Omaka Aviation Heritage Centre. Gift certificates are available if you wish to purchase the flight for that special someone.