Fly fighters as a means of entertainment: Take a thrilling ride of jet fighter as a non-pilot

Despite dreaming of it, many people don't know that flying fighter jets is possible for civilians. Up to today, a few hundred flight enthusiasts took the chance to fly in a jet as airforce pilots do. What do you need, if you want fly a jet fighter? To fly fighters, you don't need any prior flying experience. Jet flights for amateurs are carried out in two-seater aircraft, so you'll fly with a jet fighter instructor who will be in control during most parts of the flight such as starting, landing and crucial maneuvers. So if you're healthy and can afford the ride, you're good to go. To fly a jet fighter, there's remain two things to consider: Which jet fighter to fly and the available budget.

Let's first look at different locations to fly military aircraft. In general, there should be distinguished between light L-39 jets and heavy 3rd generation jet fighters such as the MiG-29 and MiG-31. If you look for the most advanced jets to fly, flying fighter jets in Russia is the way to go: Only there, the MiG-29 - designed to outperform the McDonnell Douglas F/A-18, is available for so-called demonstration flights. This means you can fly military aircraft that are in air force service around the world. If you are planning on flying fighter jets like the MiGs, keep in mind that these flights are not cheap: Supersonic flights in MiG-29 start at some 14000 USD. Because of ever-changing exchange rates and oil prices, the prices vary seasonally and annually. Specialized consulting companies such as MiGFlug.com or FlyFighterJet.com have agreements with key players of the defense industry and are therefore able to provide direct clients and travel agencies with "demonstration" flights in MiGs. Unlike in Russia, flights in American F-15, F-16, F/A-18 or even F-22 are generally unavailable to the public.

However, you can also fly airplanes that are less expensive - light fighters such as the widespread Aero L-39 Albatross fighter jets are available in the US as well as in Europe where Czech Republic, Switzerland and Spain are the top locations for such flights. These jets make up the second group of available jets. If you fly a jet fighter like the L-39, you'll fly fighters that are used for training of military pilot. Such jet flights are available for as low as 2200.00 USD for 30 minutes, and therefore also make an ideal gift.

A third group of available jet flights are older warbirds. To fly fighters such as the 1950's Hawker Hunter or the English Electric Lightning, you'll have to be a member of special clubs keeping these warbirds in the air. Through special relations to such clubs, specialized companies can allow interested non-members to fly fighters normally exclusively available to club members.

What all flights, regardless of the jet type have in common: If you're flying fighter jets, you'll have to sign some paperwork and assure that you're healthy enough to fly in military aircraft. You don't need to be an athlete - but keep in mind that if you fly a military jet, you'll experience G-loads of up to 6G (that's six time the earth gravitation).

To sum it up: Flying fighters is actually pretty easy - the hardest part might be choosing the right jet to fly.