fitness and experience
- Light, casual clothes are recommended, joggers are ideal
- Sunglasses are optional but recommended as an alternative to the jet helmet visors
- Passengers under 16 will need a parent or guardian present on the day
- As this is an adrenalin activity we recommend that passengers be of good general health
- Minimum height 150cm, maximum height 198cm
- Maximum weight 140kg
what to bring/wear
- Light, casual clothes are recommended, joggers are ideal (dresses and skirts are not suitable)
- Footwear must be closed, no sandals or thongs
- Camera/video camera - there will be great opportunities to get some amazing shots
- Family and friends
what is supplied
- Flight suit
- Fighter pilot style helmet
- Full safety mission brief
- Photo session by the aircraft
- 25 minute experience, chocks off to chocks on
- Flight certificate on completion of your flight
- Tea and coffee on arrival
more information
You may also choose the popular option of a personalised, professionally edited DVD of your experience (additional cost).
The Aircraft:
This particular A-37B is one of only three airworthy in Australia. So make sure you bring the camera!
The A-37B serial number 68-10807 was delivered to the USAAF in 1969, where it briefly flew in the USA. In the early 1970’s the aircraft was shipped to South Vietnam, where it was reassembled and flown by USAF pilots. Shortly before the cessation of hostilities the aircraft was delivered to the South Vietnamese air force and repainted in SVAF colours. When the war in Vietnam ended, the aircraft had flown only 310 hours 35 minutes. It was abandoned at Bien Hoa airport.
On 30th April 1975 the A-37B was taken on charge by the Republic of Vietnam Air Force, at which time new log books (in Vietnamese) commenced carrying forward the TTIS from the original USAF and South Vietnamese records. In July 1977, the A-37B entered factory A42 for ‘servicing’. Returned to service on 20th March 1979 the aircraft was never flown in Vietnam, but appears to have been run (religiously) for 15 minutes every ten days throughout 1979, 1980 and 1981 until the last log book entry on 15.6.81 with TTIS recorded as 314 hours and 7 minutes. Some time in late 1981 the aircraft was disassembled and placed into long-term storage in Vietnam.
In the late 1990’s ‘807’ was imported into Australia as one of a batch of seven A-37B aircraft by the late Colin Pay of Scone, NSW, Australia. ‘807’ was the third aircraft of the batch to be rebuilt by Pay’s Air Service Pty Ltd. The aircraft was stripped, overhauled and re-assembled in accordance with the manufacturer’s maintenance manual USAF T.O. 1A-37B. Ejection seats, yaw damper system, military avionics and armament systems were removed and scrapped.
On 29th July 2002 Australian log books were commenced with TTIS 314.1. Currently based at Bankstown, the twin-engined Dragonfly is one of the few warbirds that can overfly Australia’s capital cities, due its multiple engines.
VH-AZD is currently owned by Gary Criddle, who regularly displays this beautiful example of the A37B Dragonfly at airshows and corporate events throughout Australia. The low-level aerobatic display invariably demonstrates the aircraft’s amazing performance capability which approaches 12,000 fpm rate of climb immediately after take-off (even more amazing is its 5,000fpm on just one engine).
