Cornwall from above
Flight experience from Newquay to Tintagel Castle
Charlie knew how beautiful the Cornish coastline was. Changing the angle only confirmed what she already knew!
The only thing that could prevent Charlie from having this experience was the weather. The flight had to be postponed once and she got rewarded with a semi-sunny afternoon flight over the coast of Cornwall from Newquay Airport towards Padstow and Polzeath, the River Camel, and Port Isaac to Tintagel Castle.
Flight booking and getting to Newquay Airport
Charlie booked this flight on the flight-sharing platform Wingly. There were different options for 1-3 people going either North or South of Newquay. Charlie booked the one-passenger, 50-minute flight experience with FlyNQY Pilot Training.
The starting point was Newquay Airport which she could easily get to from Newquay by bus number 56. It took about 30 minutes to get to the airport and the price was £2 for a one-way ticket. Once at the airport, she passed the main building, crossed the parking lot on the other side, and could already see the container building for FlyNQY. She entered, filled out a waiver, and was offered a coffee.
Taking off to the air
The pilot, Marshall, arrived shortly after with one of his pilot students. He de-briefed the student and sat down next to Charlie to find out what she wanted to get out of the experience. There was only one answer: plenty of pictures of the stunning coastline! He provided some tips and explained how Charlie could open the window safely during the flight.
They walked through the gates along the airfield to the place where a few lightweight planes were parked. Marshall showed Charlie how to board the plane and how to fasten the seat belt. That was a science in itself!
Both, Charlie and Marshall, placed their headsets on ears and mouth and he contacted the tower. They exchanged a few sentences that seemed to be a different language. They did not have to wait and got permission immediately to take off. Contrary to the big airplanes, Charlie did not even notice the moment they left firm ground.
The Cornish landscape from above
They flew over the fields and Charlie noticed some cows that looked tiny from high up. They reached the coast and turned towards North flying over Padstow and Polzeath. The river Camel at low tide drew some interesting shapes in the sand.
Near Port Isaac, Charlie noticed how the landscape looked as if it was once a river that was now overgrown. Marshall explained that some of those towns still get flooded from time to time. After around 20 minutes they reached Tintagel Castle and Charlie was impressed by how small this bridge looked from the air.
For comparison, this is a picture of the same bridge taken from the ground:
They flew around the island where the castle used to be and returned along the coast back to Newquay.
In the same way that Charlie hadn’t felt the moment of take-off, she didn’t feel the moment of landing either. When she mentioned that, Marshall only replied: “Well, I’m not a bus driver.” Indeed, he was a very experienced pilot and made Charlie feel very safe high up in the air. If you’re in Cornwall and you get the chance to see it from above, do it! You won’t want to miss it.
