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You don’t fly the Lightning like a conventional aeroplane – you strap her to your back this is the crème-de-la-crème of ex-combat jet fighters. She’s a beauty, offering the incredible power and ‘g’s’ of the supersonic jet interceptor.
Break the sound barrier and marvel at the smooth and gentle handling of this heavy metal jet as, during your supersonic experience, you
join the elite few who’ve seen the curvature of the earth from 50,000 feet.
HISTORY
Not since the inimitable Spitfire has any single aircraft captured the hearts and imaginations of fighter pilots like the English Electric Lightning. Undoubtedly Britain’s most charismatic and best-loved jet fighter, this supersonic cold war
jet interceptor is powered by the Rolls Royce Avon 302 afterburning turbojet engine and is capable of supersonic performance in most flight conditions.
The crè'e8me-de-la-crè'e8me of fighter jets, the Lightning is known for its vertical climb performance and it still holds a number of world climb-to-altitude records. It’s capable of Mach 2.2 (1500 m.p.h.) and an initial climb rate of 50,000 feet per minute.
Thunder City operates the last two serviceable twin engine two-seater (side-by-side) supersonic cold war jet interceptor Lightning’s in the world, together with two single seater F6 that are primarily used for aerobatic displays at air shows.
This jet legend aircraft will change you forever – just as your perception of the earth will change when you see its curvature. Especially after climbing to 50,000 feet - in one minute!
TECHNICAL INFO
Powerplant
Two 16,300 lb. After burning Rolls Royce Avon 30201 Turbojets
Weights
Max. take-off 18,900 kg (41,700 lb.)
Maximum velocity
Mach 2 at 15,000 feet
Dimensions
Wing span – 10.61m
Length – 16.84m
Height – 5.97m
Crew
Two
Ceiling
60,000 feet plus |
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The last all-British strike jet bomber weighing in at 24 tons, the Buccaneer is a low level strike attack aircraft that was designed to fly extremely fast and extremely low.
Take off from Cape Town International airport and scream out to sea at a speed of close to 650 miles per hour – and just 50 feet above the water: your ‘g’ limits and sortie profile are determined purely by your ability to handle them.
Seated in the jet behind the pilot, you’ll be working with him to maximise your experience - whether it be an extreme adrenaline rush through the rugged Cape Swartland Mountains or a sortie along the dramatic Cape coast.
This is one jet experience you’ll never forget.
HISTORY
The BAe Buccaneer is a twin-engine tandem seat strike attack aircraft powered by two Rolls Royce Spey non-afterburning bypass turbofans – each of which develops 12,600 lb. static thrust.
Equipped with terrain-hugging radar, this low level attack jet performs at its peak when it’s flying low and fast. And it’s perhaps superior to supersonic aircraft because it can carry more ordnance, fly further and make its attack with equal precision - and probably at lower altitude.
And as for speed? Well, none of the supersonic planes can actually attack at supersonic speed. And, even carrying its internal bomb load of 4000 lb., the Buccaneer flies faster than, for example, the Jaguar, Phantom, F-111, Mirage, F-15E, Tornado or Su-24.
The British Aerospace Buccaneers at Thunder City are the last three serviceable Buccaneers in the world.
TECHNICAL INFO
Powerplant
Two 12,600 lb. dry thrust Rolls Royce RB.168-1
Spey turbofan
Weights
Max. take-off 24,494 kg (55,000 lb.)
Dimensions
Wing span – 12.90m
Length – 19.33m
Height – 5.03m
Range
6,440km
Crew
Two
Payload
7,258kg (16,000lb.) |
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Regarded as the “Spitfire” of the jet age the Hunter is one of the most elegant combat aircraft ever to grace the skies; hence it is a favourite at airshows around the world. The Hunter is the ideal aircraft for extreme sorties or simply fast and gentle trips around the magnificent Cape coastline and its winelands.
If you chose an aggressive aerobatic jet sortie, you’ll pull loops, rolls, barrel rolls, inverted flight, vertical manoeuvres and a host of other mind blowing manoeuvres –and you’ll come out of them hooked on ex-combat jets.
HISTORY
The versatile Hawker Hunter jet was originally designed as a superior air fighter, which, due to its versatility, was easily adapted for air-to-ground attack and reconnaissance roles. It was the first swept wing, indigenous British built fighter, with the first prototypes taking to the air in 1951 - and it held the world speed record for a brief period in 1953.
With its clean lines, brilliant handling and excellent load carrying capacity, the classic Hunter was possibly the best transonic jet fighter and ground-support aircraft of its kind - and it was built in greater numbers than any other British aircraft of the post-war era.
The Hunter formed the backbone of the Royal Air Force’s jet fighter squadron between 1954 and 1961 and remained in frontline service until the early seventies. It was only finally withdrawn from active service in 1995.
Nearly two thousand Hunters of all types were built for various air forces - including those of Belgium, Chile, Denmark, Holland, India, Sweden and Switzerland.
The Swiss ultimately ordered 160 Hunters and operated the class from 1958 until December of 1994. Among a total seven, Thunder City now owns two of the Swiss Hunters.
TECHNICAL INFO
Maximum velocity (level flight)
Mach 0.97 – supersonic in a shallow dive
Maximum Initial rate of climb
17,000 feet per minute
Service ceiling
52,000 feet
Tactical Radius
713km on a hi-lo-hi mission with two tanks and typical attack ordinance
Weights
Max. take-off 11,300 kg (25,000 lb)
Dimensions
Wing span – 10.25m
Length – 13.93m
Height – 4.02m
Wing Area – 34.43 m(2)
Range
2,960 km
Crew
Two |
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FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
How do I book this incredible experience?
You can do one of three things:
• Contact us at ian@travelxa.com, stating which jet flight or flights you want to experience and when you want to fly;
• Phone us at Travel Exclusively African on 0845-6445242 or +27823099991
• By Fax on 0845-6445282 or
• complete our online booking form below
How do I secure a date to suit my itinerary?
Full payment of your jet sortie secures your flight on the date that suits your schedule.
Note: To ensure that you enjoy the Cape’s spectacular scenery, we advise that you book your flight on the first day of
your visit to Cape Town so that we can reschedule your flight in the event of bad weather.
What if a flight is cancelled due to bad weather?
We recommend that you book your flight on the first day of your visit to Cape Town, so that we can reschedule you flight
over the next 2 to 3 days.
If bad weather prevents you from flying altogether, Travel Exclusively African will provide a 100% refund less a 5%
handling charge.
How do I pay for this amazing experience?
We will invoice you for your flight(s) when you make your reservation. If you allow Travel Exclusively African to arrange
your whole itinerary including accommodation etc. then the flights will be payable in full at the time of booking and the
rest of your itinerary will require a 25% deposit with the balance payable 8 weeks before departure. In the event of us
arranging you international flights, these will be payable according to the type of ticket you purchase.
Note: Please email ian@travelxa.com to advise us when your transfer has been concluded.
What are the passenger/cockpit size limitations?
Anyone can fly in these incredible and exciting ex-combat jets. However, the RAF Aircrew Survey provides the following
anthropometric guidelines:
Minimum body weight – 50 kg (110 lbs.)
Minimum height - 1.5m (4 foot 11”)
Maximum body weight – 125 kg (275 lbs.)
Maximum height range: 2m (6 foot 7”)
WHO THEY ARE
They make extreme flight adventure possible. Thunder City is unique; they own the world’s largest and most diverse
private jet squadron and are the only civilian operator to fly supersonic in former military jets. Choose from a variety of
flight profiles; ultra high, super-fast, aerobatic, surface-hugging, formation or a combination of these. Whatever your
extreme jet flight dream is, they will make it happen for you.
WHERE THEY ARE
You will live your extreme jet flight dream over one the world’s true beauty spots, Cape Town, South Africa. You will zoom
over the point where the Indian and Atlantic Oceans meet, climb high above Cape Town's famous Table Mountain, salute
Robben Island as you fly up the azure coast washing onto sugar-white beaches.
Combine your Thunder City extreme jet adventure with an unforgettable and diverse holiday in Cape Town – one of the
most beautiful cities on earth. Cape Town offers a wealth of excitement, diversity and culture for residents and visitors
alike. With everything from adrenaline sports; diving with the Great White shark, big wave surfing, kite surfing, white water
rafting, mountaineering, skydiving, hang gliding and abseiling. For the more sedate enjoyment you can stroll through
Kirstenbosch botanical gardens, go whale watching, and see the natural wonderland of the West Coast’s flowers in spring
or the traditional and always colourful Cape Minstrels. And course the amazing array of restaurants, beautiful winelands
and just so much more…
WHAT THEY DO
Thunder City offers you a unique chance to fly in some of the most exciting, graceful and robust combat jets ever to see
service. Thunder City operates the world’s only flying English Electric Lightning’s, the famous cold war supersonic jet
interceptor and the world’s only flying BAe Buccaneers, the famous low-level tactical nuclear-capable jet bomber. They
also have the largest fleet of flying Hawker Hunter jets, the pride of the Royal Air Force and the most successful British
fighter jet ever built.
These amazing jets are meticulously maintained by former air force engineers and always flown well within their performance
limitations. Even so they do not take safety for granted. Therefore you will be trained to safely use the aircraft’s emergency
systems such as the ejection seat, emergency oxygen etc.
FLIGHT SORTIES
Your Thunder City Sortie is an entire flight experience for which you’ll need to allocate about 3 hours.
You can choose to do one, two or three jet sorties - depending on your adrenalin requirements - and your exhilarating
once-in-a-lifetime experience is programmed as follows:
Arrive at Thunder City at 09h30 for a pre-flight tour of our operational hangar where the sheer size of and technical
ingenuity of our incredible heavy metal jets blows everyone’s mind.
You’ll be fitted with a flight suit and helmet, and briefed on its oxygen and communication facilities before being taken
through to the pilot’s briefing room, to meet your pilot and undergo emergency and ejector seat training.
Together, you and your pilot will plan your sortie – and you can choose from a supersonic climb to 50,000 feet to marvel
at the incredible sight of the curvature of the earth; fast flight (pulling ‘g’s’); aerobatics (loops, rolls, barrel rolls, inverted
flight, vertical manoeuvres to name but a few); low-level passes over the dramatic Cape coastline; or rolling through the
rugged Cape Swartberg mountains.
MAKE THE DREAM HAPPEN
You have always dreamed about doing that one unreachable thing, that pinnacle event in your life, to fly in a combat jet
aircraft and now you can with Thunder City. Your jet dream might be to see the sky turn deep blue as you touch space
and witness the curvature of the earth. Or it might be to fly really fast, faster than the speed of sound, dancing on the
supersonic shock waves you have created. Your dream might be about high g-force aerobatics, watching the sugar-white
coastline whirl around you as you loop, roll and hang upside down in your seat. You may also want to savour speed by
flying low and fast, bombing an imaginary target. It’s you flying these incredible machines. Whatever your extreme dream
may be, we will tailor an experience to make it happen.
RELIVE YOUR DREAM
And it doesn’t stop when you land. You can relive your jet dream with your friends and family when you play back the
video that has captured your extreme jet dream from start to finish. You will also be given a certificate that let’s everyone
know you are a member of that very unique band of people who have flown an extreme military jet. Just imagine…
SHARE YOUR DREAM
Dreaming alone is what most of us do. With Thunder City you can share your extreme jet dream by flying in formation
with someone you want to share the moment with. You go through the same experiences, share the same feelings and
best of all you can see each other clearly as you fly up close; you can even chat to each other in flight over the radio.
Not only is jet formation flying exhilarating, it also gives you and your buddy a rare chance to see a jet close up in beautiful
flight and to take pictures or videos of each other to record |
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