Gallery of photos from the Freedom Wings day, 24 August 2010
On Saturday 6th November, FITA organised the final Freedom Wings day for the 2010 flying season. In total 110 people benefited from the 6 events. Our final 17 guests were from Fun For Young People. The aim of F4YP is to provide after school and holiday sports and arts activities for young people (11-17 years), so that they may experience a wide range of activities and gain self confidence and motivation from developing new skills, team work and making new friends.
F4YP aims to enrich and enhance the lives of young people through integration of arts and sports into their lives, building on the cultural diversity of the community and increase their confidence, assisting integration and higher levels of achievement. The 17 chosen where the highest achievers in the numeracy and literature after schools classes run by F4YP. It was their treat for doing so well in class.
On Sunday, 24th October 2010, Freedom in the Air will be hosting an ‘Introduction to Aviation’ day beginning at 10:30 from Cranfield Airport in Bedfordshire. 10 people with a mixture of disabilities from Ability Media 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 “Freedom Wings” day.
Ability Media is the initiative from Leonard Cheshire Disability that gives disadvantaged and disabled people access to the skills and practical knowledge they need to express themselves through all forms of digital media. Leonard Cheshire 
Disability believes that by helping more disabled people with a career in mainstream media, it will be a positive influence towards leading a life they choose. Group Captain Geoffrey Leonard Cheshire, Baron Cheshire, VC, OM, DSO and Two Bars, DFC was a highly decorated British RAF pilot during the Second World War. Among the honours he received as a bomber pilot is the Victoria Cross, the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry. After the war, he became a charity worker, setting up the Leonard Cheshire Disability.
Together we intend to show that anyone with a disability or from complicated backgrounds can reach for the skies, and achieve virtually anything, sometimes with only the very smallest amount of support. The pilots ‘one off’ flight could be as life changing for them as someone who flies every week and ends up with their Private Pilots Licence.
Freedom in the Air founder Gautam Lewis, who Continue reading ‘Freedom Wings with Ability Media’
Thank you to our friends at ITV Anglia for coming along and covering the show.
This is a slideshow from the recent Freedom Wings day held 24th August 2010.BBC Radio Northampton came to cover the story and it is being played to the slideshow. It was broadcast on the the John Griff Show.
Freedom Wings at Cranfield Airport, EGTC
On TUESDAY 24th August 2010, Freedom in the Air (FITA) will be hosting a ‘Introduction to Aviation’ day beginning at 09:30 from Cranfield Airport in Bedfordshire. The day is named, for obvious reasons, Freedom Wings and, with the support of Cranfield Airport, will be Freedom in the Air’s fourth at the Airport for the 2010 summer flying season. A movie from the our first flying day with Variety Club can be seen here -
A group of young people with disabilities will find the sky is the limit this week when they have a free flying lesson at a Bedfordshire airfield.
Disabled flying school Freedom in the Air is holding a Freedom Wings taster day at Cranfield Airport on Tuesday, and has invited 23 people aged between nine and 19 to learn how to pilot a plane.
The young people all have some form of disability and attend the Young Inclusive People (YIP) club at the Pemberton Centre in Rushden.
Freedom in the Air founder Gautam Lewis, who uses crutches after contracting polio as a child in India, organised the Freedom Wing day to show people disability is not a barrier to achievement.
He said: “I thought maybe I should do something positive about supporting disabled people, help them learn new skills and push them to a new level of confidence so that they can have opportunities.
“It’s trying to show what we can do regardless of disability.”
The young people will look around a light aircraft and airport hangars, learn how aeroplanes work and then take to the skies for 30 minutes with an instructor, who will let them take control if they feel confident enough.
Three previous Freedom Wings days at the airport were very successful, and Gautam plans to hold two more in September.
Wheelchair user Janette Marsland, who attended the last Freedom Wings day in July with the activity club PHAB, said: “You leave the wheelchair on the ground, no restrictions and you carry on – it’s confidence, it’s freedom, it’s fantastic. I did not want to land the plane and just fly off into the sunset.”
The YIP club is funded by Northamptonshire County Council and Continue reading ‘Freedom Wings day: Aug 24th 2010, EGTC’
if you would like to learn more about the work of our quests, please visit PHAB
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On SATURDAY 17th July 2010, Freedom in the Air (FITA) hosted an ‘Introduction to Aviation’ day beginning at 10:30 from Cranfield Airport in Bedfordshire. The day was named, for obvious reasons, Freedom Wings day and, with the support of Cranfield Airport, was FITA third at the Airport for the 2010 summer flying season.
10 youngsters with a mixture of disabilities from PHAB had the chance of a lifetime to experience the freedom of flight, in the hope that it may expand their horizons after they attended the “Freedom Wings” day.
Phab’s aim is to promote and encourage people of all abilities to come together on equal terms, to achieve complete inclusion within the wider community. Phab has been working with Authorities around the country to help them fulfil their duty to provide Short Breaks for Disabled Children and their families. Phab runs over 200 clubs around the country, offering all sorts of activities, according to what the members want – it could be flying aeroplanes, drama, art, circus skills, to swimming or just chilling out together.
“Having had the opportunity to fulfil one of my life long ambitions is absolutely amazing and at the same time unbelievable. From a very young age I have wanted to experience sitting in the cabin of an aircraft and help the pilot fly the plane and thanks to PHAB my dream has come true! The experience was far better than I had ever imagined it to be; I was able to take control of the aeroplane whilst both on the ground and when flying 2000 feet in the air above Bedfordshire.” Janette, PHAB Chester.
View some photos from the day:
Our aim is 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 pilots ‘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.
“Thanks for organising the Freedom Wings event for PHAB last Saturday at Cranfield. I thoroughly enjoyed my turn at piloting. My wife was somewhat overwhelmed though! I enjoyed it so much that I am hoping to have some more lessons with Freedom in the Air and Cranfield Flying School, which will be fun, thanks” said Charles.
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click on image for full article
This movie is from our first Freedom Wings day in 2010 at Cranfield Aiport. It was held on May 22nd with guests from the Variety Club organisation. 10 lucky children were given the opportunity to not only take to the skies but also take controls of an aeroplane.
On SUNDAY 30th May 2010, Freedom in the Air (FITA) will be hosting an ‘Introduction to Aviation’ day beginning at 10:30 from Cranfield Airport in Bedfordshire. The day is named, for obvious reasons, Freedom Wings and, with the support of Cranfield Airport, will be Freedom in the Air’s second at the Airport for the 2010 summer flying season.
10 people with a mixture of disabilities from Attitude is Everything 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 “Freedom Wings” day.
Attitude is Everything began as a pilot project in September 2000 as a response to Deaf and disabled people’s desire for fair treatment at music venues, clubs and festivals. They set out to address an apparent lack of awareness in the music industry of the Disability Discrimination Act (DDA) and its obligations.
For full story click here (PDF file)
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