The WW1 Aviation Heritage Trust has now started an 18-month journey visiting 50+ Primary Schools in Essex with our Simulator – thanks to a grant from the CAA’s Reach For the Sky Initiative.  One hundred and thirty-seven schools applied for the WW1 AHT day visit so we hope this will become an enduring feature. The Programme is to encourage and inform Years 5 and 6 about careers in aviation. It is important that they understand the origins of the flying machine and it how it surged into the front pages over a hundred years ago in World War 1. 

This is exactly what the Trust is doing by visiting the Schools with their WW1 Flight Simulator.  The Pupils are all motivated by the prospect of a flight in a simulator designed in 1915 based on WW1 SE5a fighter with a VR game that includes all the missions available to a Scout pilot as they were known back in the day. 

While not in the Sim, they either take part in a quiz about the life and times of the simulator’s designer, Major Lanoe Hawker VC DSO RFC, or take part in poetry writing workshop based on the Great War which culminates in each of them writing a poem on seeded paper as a part of another of our initiatives – Poems, Poppies, and Planes. 

Our plan is to drop more than 3000 poems from our Nieuport 17 (Poetry Plane) over appropriate sites in N France in Jul 2024 where they will be collected and planted by the French children as an act of remembrance and reconciliation.  The British, French and German Memorial Flowers (Poppy, Cornflower, and Forget-me-Not) are the seeds in the paper.  It is our hope for the Poetry Plane to bring some of the overseas poems back to England in due course.

We are delighted with the progress so far.  We have visited 9 schools since March and over 400 children have flown WW1 missions in our simulator, completed the quiz, and written poems about WW1. Sam Dunne, the Headteacher at Colne Engaine Primary School, wrote after our visit:

I would just like to say another big thank you for the wonderful opportunity the children had today.  The whole session was so very well organised, and the children have been talking about it all afternoon. They thoroughly enjoyed learning the history in class and then experiencing the simulator. We are full swing with some wonderful poetry too.

Opportunities like today are those golden moments, moments that make children aspirational about their futures and know more about the endless opportunities there are out there for the taking. Who knows we may have another aviation enthusiast joining you or seeking out a new interest! 

Thank you for bringing your knowledge and enthusiasm to our little school and of course being part of such a brilliant STEM opportunity.

The poetry-writing is not restricted to England (Essex, Surrey, Cornwall, & Hampshire) but children from France, Germany and New Zealand are being invited to participate. A small team of 8 WW1 AHT volunteers are giving freely of their time.  Each visit involves 3 members of the Team for 6 hours on site – 1500 hours of volunteering.  The Programme would not be possible without the Twins, Ant and Ed, who drive the Simulator to each location and ensure its safe operation during each visit.

If you want to know more, please contact dick.forsythe@ww1aviationheritagetrust.co.uk

For the Teacher:

What is the poetry plane? It’s a Nieuport 17 replica biplane from WW1 and will take off from England with its special cargo of poems to be fluttered from the sky in July 2024 over North France where The First World War was fought.

The poems, written by schoolchildren (that’s your class!) and inspired by themes connected to the First World War, will be delivered in such a way to French counterparts who in turn will write their own poems to be flown back in the spirit of friendship. The works, written on seeded bio-degradable paper allow the poems to grow into poppies, symbolizing peace in commemoration of WW1.

This Lesson plan will provide some videos and photos about WW1, a short video on writing a WW1 poem, and the leave it to you as to how organise up to 4 sessions for every class of 20 not on the simulator.  Reading the examples below out loud may help and I suggest the children are asked in return to read their efforts out loud before they are taken away in the plane to France.

The Powerpoint presentation Poems, Poppies and Planes is set up as a slide show and lasts 7 minutes. It should be shown first. You may wish to have Barber’s Adagio for Strings playing in the background.

We recommend that you show the children Simon Mole’s video on writing a WW1 Poem next and base the lesson on it.The trailer from Peter Jackson’s ‘They shall not grow old’  also gives good atmospherics as 100 year old film that has been digitised, coloured and voiced over from lip-readers.

We will bring A7 size sheets of bio-degradable paper with poppy seeds attached.  You should ask the children to put their name and school on the back.  We will offer a small prize for the poem that you judge is the best from the school.

A report from the success of the above event:

Stewart, Ed and Ant have just spent the day with my Year 5 class at St. Joseph the Worker Primary School in Brentwood. 

Stewart and his team of aviation experts were great with the children and helped them to get the best out of their day. All of the children loved experiencing the flight simulator and really enjoyed flying in a WW1 plane. All of the teachers also had a go and found it to be very fun! 

Stewart was fantastic with the children and was happy to talk to them about their potential futures in the aviation field. He was also happy to answer any questions about his career as a pilot. The content in the powerpoint presentations was a great foundation for learning, and we will be adding the days experience into our History, Computing and Science Curriculum maps, and asking Stuart and his team to come back next year. The children also loved writing their emotive poems and competing in the art competition. A truly wonderful day for all involved.

Thank you, 

Rhys Town

Class 5 Teacher

St. Joseph the Worker Catholic Primary School

The event brought together some of our regular contributors and some completely new contacts. The outreach from this event should be our best ever and we certainly lowered the average age of those in the room that day.

The Royal Aero Club Trust, as part of its Flying for Youth programme administers a Bursary Scheme for young people.

25 bursaries were offered in 2022 and the lucky recipients were able to start training before Easter. Bursaries include:

• The Pooleys Flight Equipment Bursary (up to £750)
• The Lord Peter Cruddas Foundation Scholarship worth up to £1,000
• The Andrew Brownsword Bursary
• The Bramson Bursary
• The George Farha Bursary
• The John Downer Bursary.
• The Crocker Family Bursary

A number of additional bursaries worth up to £500 each to suitable candidates were also granted. No applications were received in 2022 from balloon pilots and microlight pilots who are encouraged to apply for future bursaries.

Bursaries must be used in the year they are granted.

The scheme is divided into four categories of Bursaries:

1. Flying Bursaries/Grants for those wishing to advance from one recognised level of air sport to the next higher level and wish to upgrade their existing qualifications;
2. Flight Simulator Bursaries/Grants for Computer Flight Simulation enthusiasts wishing to gain practical experience of flying or an air sport.
3. Aeromodelling Bursaries to enable flyers upgrade equipment or to gain further qualifications.
4. Advanced Bursaries to enable well qualified air sports persons enter international or national competitions or other prestigious events or to advance their existing qualifications to a higher level to the benefit of the sport (eg to gain an instructor qualification).

Click the link below to apply for 2023! Closing date for applicants is 31st March 2023

https://www.royalaeroclubtrust.org/bursaries

If you know of any youngsters who would be interested in aviation then take them along to Cosford to meet some inspirational people and have a FUN day out.

ITS FREE!

YES now have some speakers confirmed for the Cosford Conference and can reveal these are the major players as far as youngsters are concerned. They are able to offer encourgement and advice about all aviation  matters from cradle to grave so to speak.

With 2m high security fences surrounding airfields nowadays any information as to  how to get closer to aircraft with the owner or clubs permission is very useful to budding Young Aviators. Speakers at the Conference will at a fast pace cover careers information and give details of scholarships and bursaries available to enhance Education and the acquisition of appropriate skills to follow the individuals dreams. 

Registered to attend so far are

AEROBILITY, The Royal Aeronautical Society, The Royal Aero Club charitable Trust, The Air League, Cosford Museum, British Model Flying Assoc’. LAA Struts, other charities.

Past attendees of these YES events have made positive comments about the opportunities to network especially over the lunch. 

Registration is still open by e mailing Stewart Luck.

 In Mid February a final agenda and joining instructions will be e mailed to those who have registered.

Further information about how the BIG DAY Out is shaping up will be published soon on this website.

The Royal Aero Club Trust, as part of its Flying for Youth programme administers a Bursary Scheme for young people.

25 bursaries were offered in 2022 and the lucky recipients were able to start training before Easter. Bursaries include:

• The Pooleys Flight Equipment Bursary (up to £750)
• The Lord Peter Cruddas Foundation Scholarship worth up to £1,000
• The Andrew Brownsword Bursary
• The Bramson Bursary
• The George Farha Bursary
• The John Downer Bursary.
• The Crocker Family Bursary

A number of additional bursaries worth up to £500 each to suitable candidates were also granted. No applications were received in 2022 from balloon pilots and microlight pilots who are encouraged to apply for future bursaries.

Bursaries must be used in the year they are granted.

The scheme is divided into four categories of Bursaries:

1. Flying Bursaries/Grants for those wishing to advance from one recognised level of air sport to the next higher level and wish to upgrade their existing qualifications;
2. Flight Simulator Bursaries/Grants for Computer Flight Simulation enthusiasts wishing to gain practical experience of flying or an air sport.
3. Aeromodelling Bursaries to enable flyers upgrade equipment or to gain further qualifications.
4. Advanced Bursaries to enable well qualified air sports persons enter international or national competitions or other prestigious events or to advance their existing qualifications to a higher level to the benefit of the sport (eg to gain an instructor qualification).

Click the link below to apply for 2023! Closing date for applicants is 31st March 2023

https://www.royalaeroclubtrust.org/bursaries