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.
easyJet are on the lookout for talented young designers to enter their competition to design a sustainable easyJet aircraft of the future!
easyJet are calling on school children up and down the UK – like you – to join their Aircraft of the Future competition to design a passenger plane for travelling across Europe, powered by a sustainable energy source.
easyJet are supporting the development of new zero-emission technologies for planes – and they want you to feel inspired to become part of the revolution of future air travel as zero-emission aircraft designers and engineers.
Your design will be judged by a panel of world-class experts in flying, sustainability, design, and zero-emission technology:
Find out more and enter below:
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/
Added to the main Events tab
The RAF Museum are proud to host the KS3 Glider Challenge 2021 as an onsite and virtual event.
Teachers please refer to : https://yesflyers.org.uk/key-stage-3-glider-challenge/
The previous “Young Aviators” tab (under Events) has been updated to show the link directly to Andre Faehndrich via his private web site www.theplaneguy.com
The deadline for the current round of applications for an Aerobility Flying Scholarship is 17:00 BST on Sunday 25th July.
There has been a brilliant response so far and we will be unable to offer a scholarship to every applicant but if you would like to make a submission for consideration then there is still time, please visit Scholarship Form — Aerobility.
Fractional ownership provider Flexjet is accelerating aircraft deliveries and hiring another 200 pilots to fly them as the industry experiences an “unprecedented rise” in demand, CEO Michael Silvestro told AIN. But while such demand has posed problems for some competitors, he said, it hasn’t interfered with Flexjet’s ability to sell shares and jet cards and arrange leases for its fleet of Phenom 300 light jets.
“Over the past year and a half, we acquired new clients who had previously never flown privately,” Silvestro noted. “That increase in business includes fractional, lease, and jet cards across all of our aircraft types. [It’s] not limited to light jets.”
A proactive approach to maintaining service levels has mitigated any service disruptions from the demand increase, Silvestro noted. While focusing on fractional sales as Flexjet’s core business, the company said it has remained mindful of the importance of jet cards to its total operation. “In this way, we can continually ensure that supply matches demand,” Silvestro said. He added that companies with a “disproportionate number” of jet cards rolled into their core business of fractional ownership shares make it “much harder to withstand moments like this when they unfold.”
The Project Slingshot students had an exciting time at RAF Cosford on 23rd June. Tim Hardy flew his Sling 2, Al Seymour flew his Sting, and Graham Wiley flew his Foxbat in. They lined them all up with G-GWFT for everyone to have a good look at and compare. Some of the Students were able to have air experience flights. Pictures have been added to the Gallery.
| There are a number of awareness days coming up relevant to STEM Ambassadors which you may want to get involved in. They are a great chance to talk about what you do on social media or look for activity requests from teachers and youth group leaders. National Mental Health Awareness Week: 10 – 16 May Student mental health continues to be an issue schools are tackling, particularly in light of the pandemic, so this is a great initiative to get involved with. You could share your own tips or experiences, or simply promote some of the resources to help others talk about mental health. The 2021 theme for the week is nature and this FAQ page is a great place to start. Volunteers Week: 1 -7 June Here are a few ideas for blogs or social media posts: Tell us how you have kept volunteering over the past 12 months. Tell us your favourite STEM activity to run with young people… better yet film a short video of you introducing it. Tell us why you first started volunteering, who’s your STEM inspiration, or what event first got you to sign up as a STEM Ambassador. Tag us on social media (@STEMAmbassadors) and we’ll share the best posts we see. Women in Engineering Day: 23 June We would love a couple of female STEM Ambassadors to write a blog or film a video to help us promote Women In Engineering Day. Email marketing@stem.org.uk if you would like to submit an idea. You could share something on social media too, here are a few ideas to get you started: Tell us about your job as an engineer. Tell us how you became an engineer. Tell us what skills or qualities a good engineer needs. Share an engineering project which inspires you (big or small). |
| STEM Inspiration Awards: winners announced 20 May |
| We will be announcing the winner of the STEM Inspiration Awards on 20 May at 4pm. Originally postponed from 2020 the STEM Inspiration Awards celebrates STEM Employers, STEM technicians, STEM Clubs, and STEM Ambassadors who have gone above and beyond to support STEM education, including those who have done tremendous amounts to keep volunteering during the pandemic. We’d love for you to join us. Winners will be announced via video on the STEM Learning YouTube channel. |
| New STEM Teacher app released |
| Last week we released the companion app to the STEM Ambassador App – STEM Teacher. This allows Teachers to manage their activities and request STEM Amabssadors all from their phone. It includes the same calendar links and notifications which the Ambassador app includes, and will make planning and working with teachers on the go all the easier. The STEM Ambassador App and the STEM Teacher App are both available on Android and iOS. |
| What’s coming up |
| National Mental Health Awareness Week: 10 – 16 May National Numeracy Day: 19 May Outdoor classroom Day: 21 May Volunteers’ Week: 1 – 7 June Teachers still need help from STEM Ambassadors, and you can do this online. Find Ambassador requests in your region on your dashboard or make an offer. As always, we’d love to hear any feedback you might have; please get in touch. |
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.
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