Coventry Airport Fly-in on 26 September – Now with Added Venom!

Two 1950’s era Venom jet fighters will fly in to support Help for Heroes at Coventry Airport’s Fly-in on 26th September 2010. After the legendary Vulcan bomber and the breath taking Tornado jet, have landed the Venoms will take to the skies at around midday. “The Venom was designed in the late 1940s as one of Britain’s first jet fighters. They served during the Malayan Emergency during the mid 1950s and later saw action during the Suez Crisis. Nearly 1,500 were built, but today just two are capable of flying in Britain and both of them will be at Coventry Airport’s Fly in to raise urgently needed funds for Help for Heroes!” One of the pilots flying the aeroplanes is retired naval pilot, John Beattie. The other is Jon Corley, a local pilot with no military training at all. Jon (aged 36) began flying as a private pilot in 1995 and later trained as an airliner pilot. He is now one of the most experienced vintage jet pilots in the country and is Chief Pilot for the Classic Flight at AIRBASE.

Just two Venoms are capable of flying in the UK nowadays – and both will be seen at the Coventry Fly-In on September 26 (Image courtesy of Richard Paver/AIRBASE) Retired Naval Officer John Beattie (left) and civilian pilot Jon Corley (right) will be at the controls when the two Venom jet fighters take off from the Coventry Fly-In. (Image courtesy of Tim Badham/AIRBASE)

“I’m excited to be able to fly the Venom at Coventry Airport as it gives us a chance to honour the many heroes who have served in our armed forced over the years” said Jon Corley. “Flying the Venom is hard work and I have the utmost respect for those who flew it, and other types, in combat.”

John Beattie has flown a variety of types of aircraft in his naval career – both fixed wing and helicopters and sees the Coventry Airport Fly-in as an ideal opportunity to highlight the role the navy continues to play in conflicts around the globe.

Set to raise urgently needed funds for Britain's wounded servicemen and women, the event promises to be a fantastic day out for families, aviation fans and children of all ages, with visitors able to experience hangar-based shopping, entertainment and even participate in the whole fly in experience by taking a helicopter flight around the airport.

With the online box office now open and ticket sales well underway, Coventry Airport is offering free on-site parking worth £16 for a family of four to early-bird visitors who pre-book their tickets now.

Advance tickets are now available to book online http://www.visitcoventry.co.uk