The short answer
The grouse season opens on 12 August and runs to 10 December, partridge shooting runs from 1 September to 1 February and pheasant from 1 October to 1 February. Helicopter guests fly to an estate by landing permission or to a nearby airfield, with guns and cartridges carried lawfully. Perth is a base for Scottish moors. Ask us for the plan for your date.
Quote this event Tell us the date and the number of guests; we reply with options and a price for the whole aircraft.
Key facts
- Grouse
- 12 August to 10 December
- Partridge
- 1 September to 1 February
- Pheasant
- 1 October to 1 February
- Scottish base
- Perth Airport (Scone), open daily 09:00 to 17:00, prior permission; Perth to Edinburgh about 20 to 25 minutes by helicopter
- Perth to Glasgow
- About 25 to 35 minutes by helicopter; at least 1 hour 32 minutes by road
- Guns and cartridges
- Carried lawfully by their owners; we confirm the carriage rules before booking
- Landing at an estate
- Subject to landing permission and site suitability; never promised in advance
The nearest landing site
Perth Airport is the site we plan around for this event. Permission and times are confirmed with your booking.
The map draws a satellite picture, so it needs JavaScript and an internet connection. Perth Airport is at Perth Airport, Scone, Perth, Perthshire. Open it in Google Maps.
Perth Airport (Scone)
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Perth Airport (Scone) EGPT / PSL
- Address
- Perth Airport, Scone, Perth, Perthshire
- Hours as published (checked 29 Sept 2026)
- Mon–Sun 09:00–17:00; access outside these hours by prior arrangement
- Permission
- Prior permission required (PPR): we arrange it with your flight
- Customs
- By arrangement / prior notice
- Runway
- 03/21 – 853 m × 27 m asphalt (lit, PAPI); 09/27 – 609 m asphalt; 15/33 – 622 m grass
What are the shooting seasons?
Planning shooting seasons by helicopter starts with the calendar, because the seasons set the shape of any estate day. Red grouse shooting opens on 12 August, known as the Glorious Twelfth, and runs to 10 December. Partridge shooting runs from 1 September to 1 February, and pheasant shooting from 1 October to 1 February. Those are the statutory seasons for game birds, and individual estates choose their own shoot days within them. Stalking has its own seasons, which differ between stags and hinds and between countries. We do not give legal advice; the estate and the guns' owners know the rules that apply to them.
Charter-A Helicopter is the helicopter charter service of Charter-A Ltd, which has arranged private flights across the UK and Europe since 2011. Helicopter guests value the first days of a season most, because the roads to a northern moor are long and the daylight is short. Our shooting by helicopter page explains the full process.
Journey times to Perth Airport
Typical helicopter times against the car from the nearest cities, taken from our route data.
| To | Distance | Helicopter | By road | Typical saving |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Edinburgh | 29 nm (34 mi) | 20 to 25 min | 57 min (42 mi) | 34 min |
| Glasgow | 49 nm (57 mi) | 25 to 35 min | 1 h 32 min (76 mi) | 1 h 02 min |
| Newcastle | 102 nm (117 mi) | 50 to 60 min | 3 h 40 min (153 mi) | 2 h 45 min |
| Leeds | 165 nm (190 mi) | 75 to 90 min | 5 h 05 min (256 mi) | 3 h 42 min |
| York Racecourse | 169 nm (194 mi) | 75 to 95 min | 5 h (264 mi) | 3 h 35 min |
| Aintree Racecourse | 178 nm (205 mi) | 80 to 100 min | 4 h 55 min (267 mi) | 3 h 25 min |
| Liverpool | 187 nm (216 mi) | 80 to 100 min | 5 h 14 min (280 mi) | 3 h 44 min |
| Manchester | 189 nm (218 mi) | 85 to 105 min | 5 h 20 min (278 mi) | 3 h 45 min |
| Birmingham | 246 nm (283 mi) | 1 h 45 min to 2 h 10 min | 6 h 32 min (354 mi) | 4 h 34 min |
Helicopter figures are typical block times: distance at 135 knots plus 8 minutes, shown as a range. Road figures are free-flowing road times, a floor that real journeys rarely beat. Distances are in a straight line. Figures from our UK route data, checked 29 Sep 2026.
How do guests and kit travel?
Guns and cartridges are regulated, and carrying them is the guns' owners' responsibility. They must be carried, stored and transported lawfully, unloaded and in secure cases, and the rules of the aircraft's owner on carriage apply. We confirm those rules before booking and we do not carry loaded weapons. Weight and bag size matter, because the hold is small and every passenger, gun case and cartridge bag counts against the aircraft's limits. See secure helicopter transport for how discreet movement is planned.
Guests usually fly to a lodge, a field next to it or the nearest airfield, with a car for the last miles. Landing at an estate is subject to landing permission and site suitability, and we ask first.
Moors and estates in range
Scottish moors are best reached via Perth, Inverness or Dundee. Perth Airport at Scone is open daily from 09:00 to 17:00 with prior permission; Edinburgh is about 20 to 25 minutes away by helicopter against 57 minutes by road, and Glasgow about 25 to 35 against 1 hour 32. See Perth, Inverness and Caithness for the north.
Yorkshire and Pennine moors are served from the Leeds heliport and Newcastle; see Harrogate and Newcastle. Welsh and Marches estates are served from Mid Wales. Lowland pheasant and partridge shoots are reached from the south, for example via Hampshire and the Cotswolds.
Planning notes
Daylight shortens quickly after October, so afternoon returns need a margin. Moorland weather changes fast, so we watch the forecast on the day before and on the morning. If the flight is cancelled because of the weather, you pay nothing.
Arrive 10 minutes before departure, give us every passenger's weight and keep luggage to soft bags. Executive Global Travel can arrange cars at either end. See the events hub for other seasonal events.
Frequently asked questions
When does grouse shooting start?
On 12 August, the Glorious Twelfth, and it runs to 10 December.
When are partridge and pheasant seasons?
Partridge from 1 September to 1 February and pheasant from 1 October to 1 February.
Can guns be carried on the helicopter?
Lawfully carried, unloaded and cased, by their owners, and subject to the aircraft owner's rules, which we confirm before booking.
Can the helicopter land at the lodge?
Often, subject to landing permission and site suitability. We ask first.
Do you give legal advice on firearms?
No. The guns' owners and the estate know the rules that apply to them.
What if the weather stops the flight?
If the flight is cancelled because of the weather, you pay nothing.
