Hello Aerobility
Friends!
Wow, what a busy few weeks we’ve had here at Blackbushe
Airport and across the UK! We’ve had solo flights, first time flights,
simulator flights, and much more. Below is just a snippet of all the fun we’ve
been having – if you would like to include your stories of aviation fun please
do send us any photos and stories and we’ll include them too! You can email
Geri Burton on
geri@aerobility.com
The Flying…
With so much going on, it’s difficult to know where to
start! I think you’ll all agree that our flying endeavours are probably the
best place.
Over the past couple of weeks, we’ve been very pleased to
send two of our students off on their first solo flights. Cliff, a Help for
Heroes scholar, has been working very hard on both his flying and his ground
school and all of this hard work paid off with his first solo flight from
Blackbushe Airport.
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| A very happy Cliff! |
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| Congratulations from Aerobility! |
On the very same afternoon, Aerobility member Geoff also
took to the skies all on his own for the first time. Geoff has been incredibly
dedicated to his flying, spending many an hour in the simulator practising his
circuits. CFI James was even more excited than usual and very proud of his
successful students.
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| All that hard work has paid off! |
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| Another big congratulations! |
So from solo flights to first time flights, over the past
couple of weeks we’ve waved off three very excited and slightly nervous friends
for their trial lessons. Matthew, Justin and Stephen from the Camberley and
Farnham Community Groups were part of a group that came along to an Aviation
Experience back in March. Truly bitten by the Aerobility bug, they went home
and resolved to save £5 a week until they had enough for their first trial flight.
With the sun shining and the money saved, the only thing left to do was take to
the skies!
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| Stephen about to take off! |
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| Matthew receiving his certificate from James |
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| All aboard for Justin! |
These trial flights were great examples of personal
determination and we were all very proud of their achievements. We had reports
of speed demons and future display pilots so watch this space for their next
Aerobility flight!
On a sunny day a couple of weeks ago, we finally had the
weather to welcome Westgate School from Slough to Blackbushe Airport. Having
been disappointed by the rain and wind last summer, the staff and students at
Westgate School had been waiting an entire year for their chance to go flying.
Everyone had a great day, with 10 young people taking to the skies for the
first time, and we hope that this will be the beginning of a great partnership.
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| James giving a pre-flight briefing and introduction |
Another great day was had when the charity Sportability came
to visit and spend the day flying with us. Sportability’s aim is to provide
sport and challenging pursuits for people with paralysis and they share our
motto “If I can do this, then what else can I do?” The day was such a success
that Sportability is already planning their next visit in August!
The Events…
Not only have we been busy flying but we’ve also been hosting
events and attending events that others have hosted for us! The members of the Farnborough
Aerospace Consortium were very generous in their support and held
their Summer Charity Ball in aid of Aerobility. With friends such as Bruce
Dickinson present it was certain to be a good night, and with just over £7,000
raised it turned into a great night! We’d like to thank the Farnborough
Aerospace Consortium and all that supported the event for their fantastic
efforts.
Not liking to be outdone, Aerobility hosted our own day of
fun and games at Blackbushe Airport. The Members’ Day was a chance to say
goodbye to the old BDFA, sign off the accounts and welcome Aerobility formally
into existence. It was also a chance to catch up with old friends, enjoy the
sunshine and take to the skies.
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| Aerobility member Mike with CEO Mike and the Tecnam! |
The day was well attended and the BBQ was certainly a
highlight, with CFI James and NATs very own Paul Winstanley and Chris Edwards ensuring we only
lost a couple of burgers through the grill… With our fleet joined by Tecnam UK’s
example aircraft we were also able to provide member flying throughout the
afternoon. We’d like to say a big thank
you to everyone who attended, and also big congratulations to the recipients of our annual awards.
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| NATs CEO Richard Deakin being presented an award for Outstanding Support |
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| Richard with Mary Doyle, Aerobility's Aviators Shield winner for 2013 |
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| An incredible likeness to G-BSYY, but a bit tastier! |
Last week, we were also very honoured to be invited to exhibit
at the Disability Employment Conference in Westminster. This was the Launchpad for
the government’s new campaign – Disability Confident. The day was very well
attended, with everyone from David Cameron to Vince Cable to Sir Stelios of
EasyJet taking to the stage. An interesting campaign no doubt, and the
beginning of a debate which Aerobility were very pleased to be involved in.
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| Geri, Mike and Shona with Sir Stelios! |
On the TV…
Last week, Aerobility member and Ambassador Arthur Williams demonstrated
his passion for aviation in a documentary about the World War II fighter bomber
the mosquito – The Plane That Saved Britain. The documentary was informative,
interesting, heartfelt, and well worth watching! If you missed it on Sunday,
you can still catch up by following this link -
http://www.channel4.com/programmes/the-plane-that-saved-britain/4od
On The Move…
This week, we have based G-BSYY at RNAS Culdrose with
Aerobility instructor Mike Owen and Aerobility member Dave Rawlins. The pair
will also be accompanied by Aerobility Ambassador and GliderFX’s Guy Westgate.
As we speak, the RNAS Culdrose Airshow is well under way and we are hoping to
meet lots of new supporters and spread the Aerobility message further.
RNAS Culdrose have also very kindly agreed to let us base
ourselves there for the next few days in order to be able to provide flying
opportunities for those for whom Blackbushe is a bit too far away! We’re
looking forward to flying lots of new people over the next few days and getting
to know a new community.
The 2013 Aerobility
Raffle
A quick reminder for you all that the raffle will be closing
on the 26th August and
all tickets have to be returned to Blackbushe by that date in order to be
included. Make sure you don’t miss out on this fantastic opportunity! With the
opportunity to have dinner with Apollo
astronaut Buzz Aldrin up for grabs, as well as tickets to this year’s
Aviators Ball and the chance to learn how to be a display pilot with GliderFX, it really is a raffle not to
miss.
If you are a member you should have received two books of
tickets in the post, either for yourself or to sell to your friends and family.
If you would like any additional books of tickets to sell to work colleagues,
neighbours or passers-by then please get in touch with us and we will send you
a Supporters Pack.
Want to help out?
This week, we were very pleased to welcome a group from a
Guildford-based project called ‘halow’. halow was set up by a group of parents
who wanted to improve the range of opportunities available to young people with
learning disabilities, and they have grown considerably into a very successful
and vibrant organisation.
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| Aerobility volunteer Debs overseeing the "Who's Model Goes Furthest?!" competition |
Aerobility delivered an ‘Aviation Experience’ for six young
people, with model making, simulator trips and tours of the aircraft providing
a great introduction to the magic of aviation. The day was a great success and
we had a lot of fun! This success was made possible by the work of our
dedicated volunteers, who give up their time to instruct on the simulator, get
stuck in with the model making and impart their knowledge during the aircraft tours.
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| Aerobility volunteer Andrea during the halow Aviation Experience |
As the demand for these sessions grows, so does the demand
for volunteers. We’re looking for anyone with an interest in aviation who
thinks they might be able to help out for a day or two. If you would like to
get involved, please contact Geri (
geri@aerobility.com)
for more information.
Over and Out…
That’s all for now folks. Do keep in touch – send us your
stories or come and have a cup of tea with us at Blackbushe!
Happy Landings
The Aerobility Team
