WD292DE HAVILLAND CHIPMUNK Book a flight
De Havilland Chipmunk WD292 flying above the clouds

Fenland Airfield · Lincolnshire

Fly a piece of
British aviation history.

Take the controls, fly in close formation, or simply enjoy an unforgettable flight in an RAF veteran.

Book your experience ↗ Meet WD292 ↓
1950Built at Broughton
24 yrsRAF service
WD292Original RAF identity

CHOOSE YOUR FLIGHT

One aircraft.
Three ways to fly.

Whether this is your first flight in a classic aircraft or your next step as a pilot, WD292 offers an experience few aeroplanes can match.

01
FOR EVERYONE

Experience flight

Climb into the tandem cockpit and see Lincolnshire from a true RAF trainer.

From £150 →
02
TWICE THE THRILL

Formation experience

Two Chipmunks, one unforgettable sortie. Fly close enough to exchange smiles and photographs in the air.

Enquire now →
03
FOR LICENCED PILOTS

Train & fly solo

Master tailwheel flying, learn close formation and—when signed off—hire WD292 to fly for yourself.

Explore pilot options →
Two de Havilland Chipmunks at Fenland Airfield

THE AIRCRAFT

Built to teach.
Born to inspire.

WD292 entered RAF service in December 1950 and spent 24 years training generations of military pilots.

After nearly half a century at West London airfields, she arrived at Fenland in August 2022. Today, restored and cared for in her classic silver-and-yellow RAF scheme, WD292 is once again doing what the Chipmunk does best: sharing the joy of flight.

1950Built at Broughton and entered service
1953–74RAF training and university air squadrons
2022New home at Fenland Airfield
TodayExperience flights, training and solo hire
View complete service record ↓

PILOT DEVELOPMENT

Become a better pilot
in a legendary trainer.

01

Tailwheel & type conversion

Build genuine tailwheel skill: three-point and wheeler landings, short and soft fields, and hard-runway operations in an aircraft famous for honest handling.

£330 / flying hour
02

Formation training

Learn references, station keeping, rejoins, lead and wing techniques, and emergency drills—from first formation sortie through to advanced development.

£350 / flying hour
03

Solo hire

Qualified members can book WD292 online and fly throughout the year. Pilot experience, a type checkout and annual check flight are required.

£180 / month + £120 dry hour
Complete tailwheel course information +

Already hold a pilot’s licence? Learn the art of tailwheel flying in one of the finest training aircraft available. The Chipmunk is revered for its handling, but is also a great teacher: it demonstrates the behaviour expected of less well-behaved aircraft at just the right time and level.

Our highly experienced instructor takes you through a comprehensive syllabus—not just the basics. You will learn three-point landings, wheelers, short-field and soft-field techniques, and hard-runway operations, completing the course as a true tailwheel pilot.

Complete formation course information +

Ideal for two pilots learning close formation together, the course takes you from absolute novice to a safe and competent formation pilot. Learn formation references, positions and emergency drills—the ultimate skill for becoming the smoothest pilot in the club.

Training is flown in two Chipmunks and tailored to your aim: from safe close flying with a friend on a cross-country, through to preparation for Display Authorisation and airshow formation flying. Our instructors can also teach in your own aircraft.

Solo hire membership and requirements +

WD292 can be flown all year round. Based on the principles of a flying group, members contribute £180 per month towards insurance, hangarage and annual costs, on a 12-month commitment paid monthly.

Members book online whenever the aircraft is free, with no limits on the days, frequency or duration of flights. The current eligibility information requires at least 150 logged hours, including 100 hours PIC, a tailwheel conversion, an instructor check flight and an annual check flight. Less-experienced pilots may have additional requirements and restrictions until they have more than 10 hours solo on WD292.

Our primary instructor is Dave—he flies and instructs well, although, as the original site admits, he “hasn’t written anything for this bit!”

WHAT TO EXPECT

From briefing room
to the biggest grin.

Classic experience

The Chipmunk—affectionately known as the “Poor Man’s Spitfire”—offers superb handling and a graceful flight experience. Its RAF Air Experience Flight service gave many young Air Cadets their first taste of the air.

Your visit begins with a classroom briefing covering procedures and safety, with plenty of time for questions. Friends and family can accompany you to the aircraft and take photographs while your pilot helps you aboard and completes the pre-start checks.

You will wear a headset to speak with your pilot and hear radio calls between WD292, Fenland Tower and other aircraft. Flights last 20 to 60 minutes, measured brakes-off to brakes-on; taxiing is normally well under ten minutes.

Tell your pilot what you would enjoy—places to overfly, high or low flight, gentle or steeper turns—and they will accommodate you where conditions allow. After landing, friends and family can return to the aircraft for photographs of your enormous grin.

Formation experience

The same complete experience, combined with the thrill of a friend or family member flying in another Chipmunk. The aircraft are close enough for photographs, smiles and waves.

The Chipmunks take off seconds apart and form up during the climb. Each aircraft gets an opportunity to fly as formation lead and formation wing.

If you do not have a second passenger, we will try to match you with another aviator. If that is not possible, a Formation Add-On can provide a second aircraft for all or part of your flight, entirely devoted to entertaining you in formation.

Passenger suitabilityHeight limitations can generally be managed. Maximum weight is 101 kg (16 stone), and passengers need sufficient mobility to climb over the cockpit side and enter the aircraft.

EXPERIENCES

Make it a day
to remember.

Every flight begins with a full briefing. Friends and family can come airside for photographs before and after your flight.

20 minute flight£150
30 minute flight£200
40 minute flight£240
60 minute flight£330
Maximum passenger weight 101 kg (16 stone). Good general mobility is required to enter and exit the cockpit. Flights are weather dependent.

THE COMPLETE RECORD

WD292 service history

Every entry retained from the aircraft’s surviving service record.

Built at Broughton; taken into service
1 Basic Flight Training School, Booker
London University Air Squadron
Handling Squadron
H.Q.H.C. Exam Unit
Entry unable to be read
Tangmere
64 Flight Training School
C(A) Loan
Flown back with thanks
Handling Squadron
5 M.U.
Queen’s University Air Squadron & Manchester University Air Squadron
5 M.U.
St Andrews University Air Squadron
Nottingham University Air Squadron
Southampton University Air Squadron
5 M.U.
Henlow
S of T.T.
Henlow
RAF Wittering
Cambridge University Air Squadron
Birmingham University Air Squadron
Disposal Account
ROS/60 M.U.
Birmingham University Air Squadron
2 Flight Training School
Disposal Account
ROS/71 M.U.
2 Flight Training School
York University Air Squadron
5 M.U.
Sold to D Ellis Dewham
Chipmunks at Fenland Airfield

OUR HOME

Fenland Airfield

Fenland Aero Club is the general aviation heartland of the Lincolnshire Fens, ten miles south-west of The Wash and just 15 miles from the beautiful North Norfolk coast. Pilots and visitors enjoy the legendary big skies of the Fens, free from restricted airspace.

The airfield welcomes members, visitors and guests, with flying experiences and training operated by Fenland Flying School. Everyone is welcome in the clubhouse restaurant, where guest Wi-Fi and device charging are available.

Fenland Airfield
Holbeach St Johns
Spalding
PE12 8RQ
Aero Club: 01406 540330Restaurant or Tower optionsFlying School: 01406 540461Fenland Airfield website ↗Open in Google Maps ↗
WD292 flying in formation with another Chipmunk

YOUR SORTIE AWAITS

Ready to fly
the Chipmunk?

Chipmunk WD292 is operated by Fenland Flying School. Book an experience, buy a voucher or discuss pilot training directly with the team.

Group members can check aircraft availability through Goboko ↗