The recent 56 (Woolwich) squadron Air Cadets do was a success, supported by the Honourable Company of Air pilots, the Lampmongers, and YES, who presented certificates of merit to many of the cadets. Some cadets had undertaken gliding courses and subsequently written about their week long experience at a gliding club in the Peak District.
On Friday 26 July, Farnborough International Airshow will open its doors to the public for Pioneers of Tomorrow, a dedicated STEM-focused event designed to inspire and engage the next generation of aerospace leaders.
Join us for an exciting showcase of everything the aerospace sector has to offer from an exhilarating flying display, inspirational speakers, hands-on activities, careers workshops and more!
BGA Go Gliding STEM Events – an exciting half-day event to inspire people into gliding as a pathway to STEM careers, including aviation. The experience will include: videos, presentations on gliding and the Club, Q&A, STEM activities, a simulator flight, a fun Quiz with Goody Bag and a chance to apply for one of two Gliding Scholarships (worth £500) and/or a Flight Experience partially funded by The Honourable Company of Air Pilots.
12th June – Southdown
An exciting half-day event to inspire people into gliding as a pathway to STEM careers, including aviation. The experience will include: videos, presentations on gliding and the Club, Q&A, STEM activities, a simulator flight, a fun Quiz with Goody Bag and a chance to apply for one of two Gliding Scholarships (worth £500) and/or a Flight Experience partially funded by The Honourable Company of Air Pilots.
There are 2 sessions available, morning and evening, please select the ticket for your preferred time.
25th June – Cotswold
An exciting half-day event to inspire people into gliding as a pathway to STEM careers, including aviation. The experience will include: videos, presentations on gliding and the Club, Q&A, STEM activities, a simulator flight, a fun Quiz with Goody Bag and a chance to apply for one of two Gliding Scholarships (worth £500) and/or a Flight Experience partially funded by The Honourable Company of Air Pilots.
You can book on either the morning session or evening session.
27th June – Excel Careers Event
A free, exciting and fun event to inspire people into gliding as a gateway to STEM careers, including aviation. The experience will include: videos, presentations, a tour of 2Excel Engineering Ltd, Q&A with role-models, STEM activities, a simulator flight, a fun Quiz with Goody Bag and a chance to apply for a Gliding Scholarship (worth £500). This session will emphasise the Apprentice career path but not exclusively.
See more on the Go Gliding Website:
09:30 Registration (tea and coffee is available)
10:00 Introduction to YES &the event – Pete White
10:05 Introductions by ALL – Everyone gets 15 seconds
10:25 Young Aviators….. 2024 in 2024 Andre Faehndrich
10:35 Shuttleworth Trust Matthew Studdert-Kennedy introduces
My journey as an apprentice at Shuttleworth – Sam West
Flying opportunities through volunteering – Phoebe Kershaw
11:50 Heritage Engineering Technician Apprenticeships update – John Passfield
11:00 SKYSMART Apprentice scheme – Andrew Webb
11:15 Cambridge Flying Group and dHET scholarships – Mike Derret
11:25 Warbirds education initiatives – Tatiana Shevchenko
11:35 Comfort Break
11:45 British Gliding Association Junior Gliding Activities – Pete Hibbard
11:55 AEROBILITY Harvey Matthewson with Hailey Crumpton & Richie Piper
12:05 Kinross Aerospace Scientific Education Trust – Ian Smith
12:15 British Women Pilots Association. My scholarship journey… Sophie Cooper
12:25 Feet Off the Ground Club – Chairman, Pete White
12:35 Joystick club fun – Mike Clews & John Scott
12:45 IMT Aviation – Engineering Opportunity & development – Chris Fagg
13:00 Buffet Lunch
13:30 SKYSMART/IMT workshops
14:00 Hertfordshire University Ray Wilkinson
14:10 Scout Gliding, motor glider flights & Taster Days Colin Knowles
14:20 Royal Institute of Navigation John Cairns
14:30 VAC Reaching out to Young People Anne Hughes, Julian Hill & Mark Young
14:40 WW1 Heritage Trust – “Reach for the Sky”in Essex schools Dick Forsyth
14:50 Take Off Trust Youth Initiative 2024 Jim Lachendro & William Scott
15:00 RAeS Hatfield Branch Maurice James
15:10 Honourable Company of Air Pilots Richie Piper
15:20 Time & Space Learning– Engaging activities for younger people Mark Adams
15:30 Guild of Aviation Artists Phil Jackson
15:40 BMFA South Midland Area /Old Warden Model Club David Longstaff
15:50 Youth Build a Plane ProjectsStewart Luck/ Andre Faehndrich
16:00 Networking
17:00 Close
A four-part course specially designed for disabled children to get a fascinating and exciting introduction to aviation and to boost everyday skills test as teamwork and organisation. The programme is run by Aerobility staff and volunteers and will give a participant both aviation knowledge on the ground and a test of their flying skills at the controls of a real aircraft.
You will learn about topics such as principles of flight, how to talk over a radio, what airfields need to be safe and how to navigate your aircraft through the skies. You will also then have the opportunity to put the theory into practice through multiple flights at the controls of one of our aircraft.
Disabled individuals from the ages of 12-18.
Applications for the 2024 Junior Aspiring Pilots Programme are now open!
The next course will take place in Spring 2024. Please see the application form for further details.
Nope! The course is free to attend.
The ground school and the flying is at Aerobility HQ, Blackbushe Airport, Hampshire.
LAA and YES member, Andy Webb, who is also a Director of Skysmart recently took part as an expert witness in an enquiry into post 16+ education and opportunities.
The enquiry was instigated by Robert Halflon MP for Harlow and can be watched at the link below. The result of the enquiry will be available in a few months.
Skysmart, like many companies, are having difficulties in finding young recruits to fill vacancies who are able to cope and complete an Apprenticeship. In the broadcast you can hear various SME’s debate the problems with MP’s and the CBI representative:
https://parliamentlive.tv/event/index/8ca2f0d3-231b-48d0-bbb8-bdd0fa46bf91
Over 80 Light Aircraft Association members are heading to the biggest fly-in in the world – Oshkosh 2022, starting Monday 25th July.
Find out more about Oshkosh, here:
May 24th, 2022
Join us to hear about the incredible biodiversity at Bodmin Airfield with Jay Gates
Where do you think you’d find over 170 different plant species, including three species of Orchid- the Chelsea Flower Show? A nature reserve? Well, no, actually- a small private Airfield in the centre of Cornwall!
From a chance encounter with Ian Bennallick- a Cornwall Country botanical recorder, the biodiversity gem which is Bodmin Airfield, was unearthed. Ian spotted what looked like Orchids in the Airfield and identified three different species of Orchids on closer inspection. These were the Southern marsh, Heath spotted and Greater butterfly Orchids.
Bodmin Airfield has since become a key ‘Donor’ site of seed and green hay as part of the Meadow Match project, which provides a ‘dating agency’ to match makes donor and receptor sites of wildflower meadows. Wildflower Collective runs Meadow Match in partnership with the University of Exeter, The Halpin Trust and the SWEEP project.
Join us for a talk and Q&A by Jay Gates, who will tell you about this exciting discovery, and how they have inspired other airfields locally, nationally and even internationally to recognise their biodiversity potential!
Join us on Zoom on 24th May at the link below:
https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/blooming-bodmin-airfield-tickets-320577494917
Visit YES this year at the Shuttleworth Season Premiere Air Show, Sunday 1st May 2022.
Expect a thrilling air display from historic aircraft, fantastic children’s activities, and a chance to explore the beautiful Shuttleworth Swiss Garden. There is something to keep the whole family entertained!
Find out more information and book your tickets at the link below:
We look forward to seeing you there!
During March 2022, HRH Princess Anne popped in for a visit to Stansted Airport College and was shown around the engineering workshop by YES Ambassador, Rares Turcu.
HRH Princess Anne was impressed by the college work and the dedication of the students.
Patricia shares her story with us on IWD 2022:
For years YES have enjoyed conferences at Brooklands Museum and in more recent times they have added Cosford Aerospace museum as a venue. The conference is an action packed day with many speakers from all aspects of aviation and many youth movements who are all locked together in a single thought of helping our youngsters discover the world of aviation. Time is also allowed for networking and this communication between attendees has led to incredible opportunities for our future adults.
The last two years has presented problems for us all due to the Covid pandemic so it was decided to hold the 2022 YES conference by ZOOM, something that we have all now become very familiar with. So the date was set for Friday 11th March at 17.00 with the following running order of speakers on the agenda with the set time allowed for each talk:
Conference Introduction: Eryl Smith, Chairman of the LAA ~ 5 mins
Youth & Education Support, YES, Stewart Luck, Acting Chairman ~ 10 mins
Green Credentials for Aviators, Cllr Louise Pepper, Uttlesford District Council, Portfolio Holder for Climate Change ~ 5 mins
The UK’s 1st AERO ECO AIRFIELD : Jay Gates ~ 10 mins
FOG…….. Feet Off the Ground charity at Bodmin Airfield. Pete White ~ 10 mins
Shuttleworth’s Discovery Zone, Mathew Studdert-Kennedy ~ 10 mins
WAT WW1 Heritage Trust, Dick Forsythe Chief Trustee ~ 5 mins
The Plane Guy, Andre Faehndrich S ~ 5 mins
Jet Age Museum, Mike Fortescue (Museum Volunteer ~ 5 mins
Aerobility Harvey Matthewson ~ 10 mins
A Teacher’s view of the Build A Plane Initiatives, Stewart Blakemore Project lead. 10 mins
Heritage Engineering Apprenticeships Francis Glalashan ~ 10 mins
LAA Struts, David Millin ~ 5 mins
Type Clubs, VAC & Aviation Artists Anne Hughes ~ 5 mins
Uttlesford District Council Communities Development Officer: John Starr ~ 5 mins
Cllr Richard Porch, Mayor of Saffron Walden ~ 5 mins
Stansted Aviation College/Havering College. B@P progress, Rares Turcu YES Ambassador ~ 5 mins
A full and varied selection of topics and with discussion time and the odd technical hitch we managed to complete our conference sometime before 22.00.
Without doubt the star of the show was, our Jay Gates, who presented a superb picture of how our airfield BODMIN has become the leading light in the UK, or possibly further afield than that, as a green ECO airfield. Watch this space!
Pete White, Chairman, FEET OFF the GROUND (FOG)
A number of PPL flying scholarships are available from the Honourable Company of Air Pilots (HCAP) – and the window for applications is open from now until 2 February 2022.
Providing up to 45 hours of flying training, the scholarships can take a candidate with little or no experience to completion of their flying licence during the course of the summer. Alternatively they can ‘finish off’ someone who is already partially trained.
Candidates must be 17 or over on 1 June 2022. The course must be commenced during June 2022 and completed by 29 September 2022.
Read more about the Scholarships and previous winners on the Flyer news page, here:
https://www.flyer.co.uk/hcap-launches-2022-ppl-flying-scholarships
To apply, click the link below:
https://www.airpilots.org/scholarships/flying-scholarships/flying-scholarships-2022/
Good luck with your application!
In 2015, with help from the National Lottery Heritage Fund, the WW1 Aviation Heritage Trust built a replica of a 100-year-old flight Simulator and fitted a VR Headset with a programme called Flying Aces to encourage young and old to experience the challenges of flying and fighting a WW1 aeroplane.
The intention is to use the funds created to keep their reproduction WW1 aircraft airborne – BE2, Albatros DVA, Nieuport 17, Fokker DVII (joining shortly). The inspiration for this project was Major Lanoe Hawker VC DSO RFC. Hawker had a major impact in his short life on the operational effectiveness of the Royal Flying Corps in just over 2 years 1914-1916 as a leader, pilot, innovator, and inventor.
One of his many inventions was the Rocking Nacelle created when he realised by mid-1915 that the attrition in pilots was getting extremely high through inadequate training.
Once the pre-war cadre had been killed, their replacements with no experience of shooting guns could not hit moving targets from their aircraft.
Hence, Hawker designed a cockpit that moved in 3 axes and allowed them to fire at targets on a range. He also wanted to ensure that the younger pilots he was leading, and training, were prepared for the challenges and pressures of live warfare in the air.
It was for this purpose that he devised the ‘rocking fuselage’ or ‘rocking nacelle’ for target practice on the ground, simulating the tough conditions in the air.
You can enjoy this exquisite mix of vintage mechanics with the latest VR technology as the rocking nacelle is now mounted on a trailer and available for hire.
The WW1 Aviation Heritage Trust’s (WW1 AHT) vision is to provide a unique, dynamic, and enduring testament to the evolution of aviation, and the bravery and innovation of the crews, in the Great War.
The Trust’s raison d’etre is to explain how the concepts of air power were founded in the air battles over France and to keep the infinite tales of courage and endurance of the Great War aviators in the public eye.
The Trust is creating and maintaining a collection of flying late-model original WW1 aeroplanes to encourage young people into engineering and flying by supporting STEM initiatives. The Flight Simulator is now mobile and will support the Trust in this aim while also contributing to the upkeep of the aeroplanes.
An exciting vacancy has come available at Gloucestershire Airport for an Air Traffic Services Assistant.
A great and varied role, you will be able to learn a wide range of skills while assisting the Air Traffic Department.
Minimum qualifications are GCSEs and basic IT skills.
Other qualifications useful to this role (but not required) could include previous experience as a Cadet NCO or Ranger, or a recent Air Cadet or air-minded Scout/Guide.
In the past, these posts have been a starting point for full ATCO careers.
To find out more, please visit the Gloucester Airport vacancies page:
https://www.gloucestershireairport.co.uk/vacancies/
For job description, click here:
https://www.gloucestershireairport.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/ATSA-Job-Advert-09.11.21.pdf
