Biplane Flight Experience
Step back in time to an era when aviation was pure romance, adventure, and art. Operating from the historic grass runways of Netherthorpe Airfield, Three Counties Flying School invites you to experience flight as it was always meant to be. Settle into the cockpit of our iconic
Biplane‘MX457’ clad in a classic leather jacket, flying suit and helmet, you’ll feel the slipstream, the scent of leather, and the unforgettable hum of wind in the wires. From gentle local sorties over open countryside to our flagship Dam Busters flight, retracing 617 Squadron’s training routes across the Derwent Valley dams, every second brings a bygone age vividly back to life. Take the stick yourself under expert instruction and simply watch the world drift beneath the wings, prepare to rediscover the magic of early flight.
The Legend of MX457: From Occupied Belgium to RAF Service
On the night of July 4, 1941, Belgian airmen Lieutenant Michel Donnet and Léon Divoy executed one of World War II’s most daring aviation escapes. Having secretly rebuilt a dismantled Stampe SV.4 biplane by candlelight in a barn in occupied Belgium, they hand cranked the engine, dodged enemy sentries, and flew at treetop level across the English Channel with no lights or radio. Touching down in an Essex field on empty, they delivered a rare prize: an intact aircraft straight from occupied Europe.
Impressed into Royal Air Force Duty
Recognising the unique value of the escape craft, the British Air Ministry immediately conscripted the Belgian biplane into active military duty, issuing it the official RAF military serial MX457. Repainted in service markings, MX457 served throughout the war in active duty on pilot evaluation, and liaison duties, one of the very few civil aircraft stolen from enemy held territory to earn a place in the RAF fleet.
Michel Donnet went on to command No. 350 (Belgian) Squadron RAF, flying over 300 Spitfire combat missions and earning the Distinguished Flying Cross (DFC).
Bringing History Back to Life
Today, the original wartime biplane rests preserved as a national treasure inside the Royal Museum of the Armed Forces and Military History in Brussels.
Here at Netherthorpe, we bring that history out of the museum and back into the skies where it belongs, weaving together two of World War II’s most extraordinary aviation chapters:
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The Escape to Freedom (1941): The sheer audacity of Michel Donnet and Léon Divoy, who secretly rebuilt a biplane by candlelight in occupied Belgium, flew low across the English Channel to freedom, and watched their craft pressed into official Royal Air Force service as serial MX457.
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The Dambusters(1943): The razor sharp airmanship of Wing Commander Guy Gibson and 617 Squadron, who spent the spring of 1943 skimming low over the waters of the Derwent Valley, mastering the low-level precision flying that would break the dams of the Ruhr Valley.
Operating our aircraft under special permission to display the exact, authentic RAF MX457 markings along the historic 617 Squadron flight path, we bridge these two iconic moments into a single experience. Settle into the open cockpit with the wind in the wires, you aren't just looking at history, you are flying it.
