Category Archives: News

News, Uncategorized

YES Conference 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)

News

HCAP launches 2022 PPL flying scholarships

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!

Flight Sim, News

WW1 AVIATION HERITAGE TRUST – FLIGHT SIMULATOR

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.

www.ww1aviationheritagetrust.co.uk

News

Air Traffic Services Assistant vacancy at Gloucestershire Airport – Staverton

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

Events, News

World Pedal Plane Gathering at Old Warden on Wednesday 29th December 2021

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

http://www.theplaneguy.com/

https://www.shuttleworth.org

News

Scouts Aviation Taster day Success at Audley End Airfield

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.

News

Project Slingshot Update

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.

News, Uncategorized

Air Scout Group visit AAC Wattisham for close-up look at Apache helicopter

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

thaxtedscouts.org.uk

News

Progress with project Slingshot

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/

News

Royal Aeronautical Society News

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.

News

2021 STEM Science Week

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.
News

2021 Awards to YES

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.

News

2020 Awards to YES

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.