Aviation Without Borders (AWB) hosted its fourth ‘Introduction to Aviation Day’ of the year on Tuesday 6th August at White Waltham Aerodrome, situated just off the M4 about 15 miles west of Heathrow. The day is named, for obvious reasons, Smiling Wings day, and was supported by EADS and the West London Aero Club.

Smiling Wings days introduce disadvantaged or disabled youngsters to general aviation. Our guests on the 5th were children from Kids Company, a charity which provides practical, emotional and educational support to vulnerable inner-city children and young people. Many of the 12,000 children who come to Kids Company have experienced severe and multiple trauma. Often these are ‘lone children’ living in chronic deprivation, with little or no support from the adults in their family; some are young carers looking after younger siblings while others are caring for parents unable to look after them.

A staggering number of Kids Company’s children have never travelled outside the immediate locality in which they live, so the opportunity to take to the skies and literally discover a different perspective on the world is something which is hugely exciting to them. None of the guests at White Waltham had been to an airfield before and one commented that he ‘had never seen so much grass in his life’.

The day at White Waltham began at 1100 when Ricki, the deputy Chief Flying Instructor, welcomed the group to the airfield and gave an abridged but comprehensive briefing on flying and the workings of an aircraft. The aeroplanes to be used for the flights were parked nearby and the group was then taken to look at an aircraft and to view the cockpit and controls at close range.

The weather had been forecast to be clear patches with rain showers but it was much worse with low cloud, continuous rain and poor visibility. Some young guests that had been invited had decided themselves that there was little chance of flying in these conditions and had made their own decisions not to attend. This was unfortunate, for the conditions were expected to improve in the afternoon and some flying was likely. As the guests waited a wonderful buffet lunch was provided and, to pass the time, there was some further talk on flying.

By 2.30pm the cloud had lifted sufficiently, the rain had stopped and the visibility below the cloud was good. The first guest took to the air at 2.45pm and by 4.00pm the flying programme had been completed.

fter the long wait the young people were over the moon with the experience and all gave it ten out of ten. They had all been given a ‘shot’ at flying and talked excitedly about their experiences. Friends were phoned on mobile phones but, to their disappointment, none of those called would believe them. They did, however, have photos and flight certificates to prove it.

The transformation from the slightly sullen and wary demeanour of the guests on arrival to the young peoples’ happy and excited faces in late afternoon made the long wait worthwhile. The pilots were thanked for their help, the West London Aero club for their support, and all agreed it had been an enjoyable day.

Here is the slideshow from the day – this link is without music
http://www.aviationwithoutborders.org/smile/whitewaltham/index.html

The majority of the children who they care for have with severe emotional, behavioural and social difficulties, resulting from significant experiences of trauma and neglect. Many of them are ‘lone children’ living in chronic deprivation, with limited or no support from the adults in their family.

With the aid of Aviation Without Borders and the West London Aero Club, the kids took off from White Waltham Aerodrome near Heathrow Airport today. As well as being introduced to the basics of flight, the children were given a presentation on flying, a tour of the hanger led by Gautam, and a demonstration of the workings of the aircraft, and then of course each kidsco pilot had a 30 min flight with one of their friends sitting in the back.

A staggering number of Kids Company’s children have never traveled outside of the immediate locality in which they live, so the opportunity to take to the skies and literally discover a different perspective on the world is something which is hugely exciting to them. The day of flight will enable children from depleted urban environments to see and experience things which they would never otherwise have the opportunity to, firing up their imaginations, exciting their curiosity and giving them a sense of life beyond the inner city.

It was amazing to see their expressions change throughout the day. They came in looking tense and a little quite and not very outward. They left feeling on top of the world and could not stop talking – they were kids who were extremely happy when they left. Sky’s the Limit….

Smiling Wings days introduce disadvantaged or disabled youngsters to general aviation. Our guests on the 6th were children from the Disability Resource Centre accompanied by siblings, parents, grandparents, carers and ‘cheer leading’ school friends. Also joining in the fun from the Disability Resource Centre were the Chairperson, Mick Dillon and the Information Manager, Liz Morgan.

The day at Cranfield began at 1030 when Goaty Lewis welcomed the group to the airfield. Goaty, himself a disabled pilot with a PPL, is AWB’s volunteer for Smiling Wings and it was he who had organised the day. A film crew, Ross McCall and Stephen Houson who donated their services, were also on hand to film the welcome and the events of the day. Click on this link to watch the movie ‘Smiling Wings’.

A short introduction to flying and the workings of an aircraft followed and then the Chief Flying Instructor of Cranfield Flight Training, Mike Willoughby, briefed on safety. David Coulson and Donald Putman, the standby pilot, also gave support. The aeroplanes to be used for the flights were parked just outside the viewing area and small groups were then taken by the pilots, Mike Willoughby and Terry Akeroyd, of TA Flight Training, to look at the aircraft and to view the cockpit and controls at close range.

The weather in the morning had not been too good with hazy visibility and patches of low cloud but, by the time the preliminaries were completed and the afternoon beginning, the sun was out and the day turned bright and clear. A large table was set up on the grass in the viewing area and a picnic lunch from Café Pacific (good name!) was enjoyed by all in the sunshine.

As lunch progressed the flying began and the first of the children took to the air. Four of the children were in wheel chairs and had to be ‘manhandled’ into the seat in the cockpit. Fortunately help was at hand in the form of two MSc students at Cranfield University, Trem Levasseur and Symeon Pantelidis, a Greek Air Force officer, who assisted in boarding the children. BBC ‘Three Counties Radio’ also arrived on the scene with a radio car and the presenter, Rachel Brabbins, interviewed guests, parents and pilots for a live broadcast on the Lorna Milton afternoon programme. The afternoon remained bright and sunny with all the children having a comfortable ride in the good visibility and, by 3.30 pm, the flying programme was completed.

After the flying the group assembled in the picnic area and signed flight certificates were presented to all who had flown. Sebastian Pooley of Pooley’s Flight Equipment had donated ‘goody’ bags containing such items a Flight Guide book, a pack of playing cards and a diary, and these were also presented to the children. The pilots were each presented with an AWB pen and a ‘pilot’ bear wearing a leather flying suit and flight goggles. The film crew were also thanked for their efforts and all who assisted were thanked for their contribution.

Everyone thoroughly enjoyed the day and the sunshine, with the picnic in the viewing area, were the icing on the cake. The caring and kindness of the pilots and the support and kindness from all Cranfield meant so much to those who flew. Amongst the children, parents, pilots and all who attended, there were, once again, many smiles.

(London – UK: Wednesday, June 4, 2008) On Friday 6th June 2008, Aviation Without Borders (AWB) and Cranfield Flight Training will be hosting an ‘Introduction to Aviation’ day beginning at 10:30 from Cranfield Airport in Bedfordshire. The day is named, for obvious reasons, Smiling Wings day and, with the support of EADS, will be Aviation Without Borders’ first at Cranfield Airport.

10 local children with disabilities from Bedfordshire and Luton will have the chance of a lifetime to experience the freedom of flight, in the hope that it may expand their horizons when they attend the “Smiling Wings” day. Children are all from The Disability Resource Centre, which is Bedfordshire and Luton’s leading independent disability information provider.

We intend to show that anyone with a disability can reach for the skies, and achieve virtually anything, sometimes with only the very smallest amount of support. The children’s ‘one off’ flight could be as life changing for them as someone who flies every week and ends up with their Private Pilots Licence. To have piloted an aircraft even once is clearly a massive experience for a person with a disability and a huge achievement.

The children, who have all recently accessed The Disability Resource Centres local Information and Advice services, will learn all about being a pilot, before having their own private 20min flight in a light aircraft with family members, where if they wish, they can take control of the aircraft. A PA28 Cherokee operated by Terry Akeroyd and fitted with the vision air hand control will be one of 3 aircrafts being flown on the day. The hand control enables a pilot with lower limb disabilities to operate the aeroplanes rudder pedals with their hands.

The day long event will culminate in each child receiving a personal record of their flight, together with a goody bag provided by Sebastian Pooley, of Pooleys Flight Equipment and a signed certificate, as a memento of a very unique day.

Each year The Disability Resource Centre supports over 5,000 local people with disabilities, of which 10% are young adults with disabilities or who act as carers.

Commenting on the event, Mick Dillon, Chief Executive of the Dunstable based disability charity said “…we are indebted to the support Aviation without Borders has offered us to make the Smiling Wings day possible. With freedom comes confidence, which in turn encourages anyone with a disability to push back boundaries and look to change society’s typically negative attitude of disability.

Mike Willoughby, Chief Flying Instructor at Cranfield Flight Training comments “ Both myself and our organisation are keen to support the promotion of aviation to disabled people. We are happy to do as much as we can to help disabled people become pilots. As an instructor I am naturally keen to encourage anyone to learn to fly. My experience teaching Gautam Lewis was very rewarding and emphasised that anyone can learn to fly if they have the desire, are encouraged to do so and realise that most barriers to learning can be overcome.”

So far this year AWB has held events with The Scottish Aero club in Perth in April and with Synergy Aviation at Fairoaks in May. The Smiling Wings tour then goes on with one event each month over the summer to Cumbernauld, near Glasgow, White Waltham, near London, and finally to Manchester in September.

The day will be organised as a fun day for the children and it is hoped to see many smiles. If you wish further information please visit our website at http://www.aviationwithoutborders.org or call Gautam Lewis +44 (0) 208 993 0889

On behalf of all the trustees at Aviation Without Borders I would like to say a very special thank you to all who helped on our ‘Introduction to Aviation Day’ at Fairoaks.

Aviation Without Borders (AWB) hosted its second ‘Introduction to Aviation Day’ of the year at Fairoaks Aerodrome, near London, on Saturday 17th May. The day is named, for obvious reasons, Smiling Wings day, and was supported by EADS and Synergy Aviation of Fairoaks.

Smiling Wings days introduce disadvantaged or disabled youngsters to General Aviation and to the wonder of flight in the hope that it may expand their horizons. So far this year AWB has held events with The Scottish Aero club in Perth in April and with Synergy Aviation at Fairoaks on the 17th of May. The Smiling Wings tour then goes on with one event each month over the summer to Cranfield, Cumbernauld, near Glasgow, White Waltham, near London, and finally to Manchester Barton in September.

The day at Fairoaks began on Saturday morning when our guests from the charity Reach, eleven children and nine adults, arrived at 1030. Normally a talk on flying is given on arrival followed by visits to static aircraft, lunch and then a short half hour flight in the afternoon but, owing to bad weather forecast later, the day had to be turned on its head. The first group went flying straight away and was airborne by 1100. With the cloud base at 1,200 feet and the rain staying away the passengers were able to have a comfortable ride and to enjoy the views. The next group went flying on their return and, with the arrival of more pilots, the others soon followed. By 1pm all had managed to have an enjoyable flight.

After the flying, and when all had finished lunch, the decision to fly early was vindicated when the cloud lowered and the rain came down. With the day at Fairoaks ending sooner than expected our guests were invited to visit the nearby Brooklands Air Museum where they were given a belated talk on flying and the workings of an aircraft. All then had the opportunity to view as many static aircraft as they wished, including Concorde, amongst the exhibits at Brooklands.

Everyone thoroughly enjoyed the day and, amongst the children and parents, and the pilots too, there were many smiles. The support from the Synergy Aviation pilots, Joss, Peter and Graham, was much appreciated and the event was rewarding for all concerned.

These Smiling Wings days are for the children but the parents need support too and, thanks to you all, everyone was able to fly. Your efforts produced many smiles. Thank you very much for the help and kindness shown by all at Synergy Aviation.

Stan Stewart, Adrian Waite (Trustees) and ‘Goaty’Lewis, Specialist Volunteer

This slideshow is of me, Stan and Adrian at Brooklands reuniting Stan with his old CV10…. 

Captain Stanley Stewart, VC10 VB, VM, 747 – Click here for the most popular videos

During the weekend, i got to spend the whole day with Stan and Adrian during Smiling Wings. As we walked around Brooklands, Stan looked at the body of an old BA VC10 with the reg G-ARVM and said “I used to fly that” – how cool i thought. he would fly routes from London – Boston, Boston – Philadelphia, Philadelphia – Detriot and so on…

I wish i could do that.As we wondered around, another VC10 was on static display and this one used to be owned by the Sultan of Brunei. I was very proud to be wondering around with Stan listening to his stories about each aeroplane and getting an education on what it was like flying these planes. Stan become a Captain of BA 747’s and wrote books on Aviation. It feels great to know such a pilot and aviator. He is someone who i look up to and hope to learn from. I really want to fly with Stan – perhaps at Cranfield on June 5th when we host our next Smiling Wings day. 

I was particularly pleased to be sat in the left hand seat alongside with Stan Stewart in the cockpit of the aeroplanes he used to fly before becoming captain on BA 747’s…

watch the slide show – click this image

You may need to download quicktime player to view the slide show – get it here…

  Aviation Without Borders, in association with the Scottish Aero Club, hosted its first ‘Introduction to Aviation’ day in Scotland on Saturday 19th April 2008 at Perth Aerodrome.  The event was supported by EADS and the Scottish Aero Club, who also kindly offered the use of their clubhouse.

The guests on the 19th were children from Reach and The Murray Foundation who were invited with an adult to enjoy a day at Perth Aerodrome. The weather was bright and sunny but with a fresh easterly wind.  The ‘Introduction to Aviation’ day began with a slide show and a short talk on flying presented by the chairperson of the Club, Keith Boardman.  

The generosity, enthusiasm and support from all at the Scottish Aero Club was much appreciated and the day was rewarding for all concerned.On Saturday May 17th, we will be at Fairoaks hosting our next smiling wings day and after that you can find us at these aerodromes playing aeroplanes… Freedom in the Air is working with Aviation Without Borders on these and other events. We are making a film about Smiling Wings days and they will be streamed within a few months. 

• Cranfield, June 5th 2008 – with The Disability Resource Centre, http://www.drcbeds.co.uk/ – in partnership with Cranfield Flight Training
• Cranfield, July 12th 2008 – with Bedfordshire County Council, Young Carers day, http://www.bedfordshire.gov.uk/ – in partnership with Cranfield Flight Training
• White Waltham, August 5th 2008 – with Kids Company, http://kidsco.org.uk/ – in partnership with West London Aero Club