Introducing the World Pedal Plane Gathering at Old Warden on Wednesday 29th December 2021, 12.00 noon.
The gathering is a joint venture between YES and The Plane Guy.
Our aim will be to gather up to 55 pedal planes to try and beat beat the current US record of 53 set at Oshkosh 2019!
The event will be held at:
Shuttleworth Trust
Old Warden Aerodrome,
Hill Lane,
Biggleswade SG18 9DX
An Aviation Taster Day for Scouts was held at Audley End Airfield on 16th October 2021.
Around 60 scouts attended the event from Newport, Thaxted, Carver Barracks, Bocking and Clavering, all located in N.Essex
At the first base on the day, Rules of the Air were covered in a fairly relaxed atmosphere:
The Second Base the scouts visited was to learn about Elementary Navigation:
How to conduct PREFLIGHT CHECKS was next at Base 3:
Our 4th Base Covered Aviation ART:
Some of the amazing artwork produced that was entered into the LAA Young Artists Competition:
The 5th Base was Aviation Careers.
Lunch was served to all Volunteers:
At the End of the day the Mayor of Saffron Walden, Richard Porch and 100-year-old PPL/LAA inspector Ted Barret exchanged notes:
A big thank you to the LAA who came to promote the aviation art competition and the Guild of Aviation Artists for their help on the day, Vintage Fabrics who allowed us to use their hangar for the art sessions, and all the PPL Pilots, Instructors, Scout Leaders and Counsellors who were all part of making the event so successful.
Thank you also to the WW1 Aviation Heritage Trust who took part in the event and have some exciting and interesting projects planned for the future.
On 20th October the fuselage, undercarriage, firewall forward and canopy kits for the Sling2 arrived at Cosford.
We have a lot of work to do now – the empennage still has to be completed so we are now planning to double the length of the build session each week.
Over 100 members of the 1st Thaxted-Carver Air Scout Group visited AAC Wattisham Suffolk recently to learn all about the Apache helicopters stationed there.
On the day the members had a look around the hangar, a close-up look at an Apache helicopter and also the vehicles that keep them flying such as a fuel tanker, MT vehicles, Defence fire and rescue.
They were also treated to a visit from a Survival Equipment Services (SES) expert from the RAF to go through some of the kit that is used for survival and emergencies including sea ditching.
“The feedback from the young people was fantastic and we are very grateful to AAC Wattisham for allowing us to visit, creating an amazing experience for all involved.”
Rory Wilson
Group Scout Leader
Students from Aston University Engineering Academy are progressing well with their school’s build a plane project as part of the Air Leagues Project Slingshot.
The Air Leagues programme will give young people practical, hands-on experience in aviation manufacture and flight. Working outside of formal learning environments, this programme will support groups of young people to deliver a complete aircraft, thereby developing practical skills in engineering, project management and teamwork. Project Slingshot aircraft will deliver a legacy beyond the initial build programme, with each completed aircraft planned to deliver many years of flying for cadets, other youth groups and Air League scholars.
Project Slingshot uniquely focuses on a professional build standard delivered by actively mentored young people, through drawing upon expertise within the RAF Sport Aircraft charitable organisation, industry, the Light Aircraft Association and core programme partners.
Each project will employ an innovative distributed build, with for instance the empennage, wings and fuselage being built at different locations within a region. Teams will come together for final assembly and ideally build sections in rotation, in order to maximise the impact of the project. This very much mimics the way in which aircraft are built by major manufacturers.
The Aston University Engineering Academy’s students first task is to construct the empennage for a Sling2 light aircraft, with their work being carried out at RAF Cosford who have generously provided workshop facilities.
The Cosford RAF Museum has also allowed us to use the MBCC paint shop to spray all the components with anti-corrosion primer. The students will soon be moving on to the next task which will be to build the fuselage.
Find out more below:
https://www.airleague.co.uk/project-slingshot/
The AGM of the YES Committee will be held on Thursday 8th April 2021 at 20:00. For a detailed agenda please click here.
Today is the start of National Careers Week 2021 in the UK, and if you or someone you know is interested in a career within the aerospace, aviation or space industries, then look no further than our own Careers in Aerospace website. It has lots of informative content and guidance, including the newly launched AeroStories section that aims to inspire future generations.
Further afield this week, it is World Engineering Day for Sustainable Development on Thursday 4 March. Launched last year, the day offers an opportunity to highlight engineers achievements and the many ways that engineering is building a more sustainable and inclusive world.
To mark the occasion, the Royal Academy of Engineering have posted a new series of videos that reveal how engineers are addressing each of the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals. From fighting poverty, to forming partnerships, these 17 goals provide a shared blueprint for a peaceful and prosperous planet.
Youth and Education Support (YES) is not responsible for the content of external Internet sites, and if you do decide to download anything from a link PLEASE ASK THE OWNER of the computer first.
| Events running from 5 – 14 March |
| British Science Week is taking place from 5 to the 14 March and our STEM Ambassador Hubs have put together a fantastic programme of events for students, teachers and families. Do you fancy making your own lava lamp, trying out some Python Programming, or exploring how the Covid-19 vaccine was created and tested? You can download the full set of events here, including a range of careers talks from STEM Ambassadors in different STEM sectors. To match current Covid-19 guidance none of the events will be in person. Each one comes with a recommended age range and advice on whether it should be undertaken with a teacher or can be done by families. Please share any relevant events with young people who may be interested in attending. |
Seventeen year-old Ellie Carter, a key member of the LAA’s Youth and Education Support Strut, YES, has been awarded the Royal Aero Club President’s Breitling Certificate for her work in promoting younger people in aviation.
Read more about Ellie’s award here.
Pete White has been awarded the Royal Aeronautical Society’s Individual Specialist Award. A small part of the citation reads as follows, “ Mr White receives an Individual Specialist Award for using his expertise in aviation and his outgoing personality to educate and enthuse thousands of people of all ages over many years”.
Read more about Pete’s award here.
