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Land's End Flying School Newsletter
Volume 1, Issue 7, June 2007
NEWS IN BRIEF
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Land’s End is the best aerodrome in the UK and that’s official! |
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Land’s End recently played host to Polly Vacher as part of her Wings Around Britain campaign raising money for disabled flying scholarships. |
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Westward Airways introduced two new members of staff, Brett Gibson and Stephen Burrough |
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This year we will be exhibiting at Culdrose Airday displaying our training aircraft and flying scenic Flights around Looe Pool and Helston |
LAND'S END IS BEST AERODROME
Those looks of pride say it all. Land’s End is the best aerodrome in the UK and that’s official! Pictured opposite are Pete Cosgrove and Andy Howard receiving the AOPA Sword for 'An Outstanding Place to Visit'. Helpful assistance from Andy in the tower and Pete behind the desk ensured a safe crossing for one Scilly bound pilot who subsequently nominated the airport for the award.
Brett Gibson made up the trio of representatives who set off in G-LX (the club Cessna 172) early on Saturday 9th June to fly up to Wycombe Air Park to collect the award at the Aero Expo.
AOPA officials made the team very welcome and the post presentation buffet lunch with other award winners was gratefully received!
POLLY INBOUND
Land’s End recently played host to Polly Vacher as part of her Wings Around Britain campaign raising money for disabled flying scholarships. Polly intends to land at every airfield listed in the Jeppesen VFR Manual and invites a disabled person to fly with her on each leg and the operations team were happy to co-ordinate the local legs on her behalf with Disability Cornwall. Polly’s first introduction to aviation was a charity skydive, after which Polly completed a further 249 jumps before deciding to learn to fly in 1994 at the age of 50.
Polly’s first long distance solo flight was across the North Atlantic in 1997 followed in 2001 with a solo flight around the world in her ‘Wings Around the World’. In 2004 Polly became the first woman to fly over the North Pole and the first person to land on all seven continents, all for charity. Polly and her husband Peter have taken an active interest in Flying Scholarships for the Disabled for several years and to date Polly and her team have raised over £400,000. Her exploits can be followed in her online diary which we hope will soon feature pictures from Land’s End.
SCENIC FLIGHTS AT CULDROSE AIR DAY
This year we will be exhibiting at Culdrose Airday displaying our training aircraft and flying Scenic Flights around Looe Pool and Helston. Come and visit us at our stand!
See the website here for more details.
STEVE TREMAINE PPL SUCCESS
Congratulations to Steve Tremaine who finally outwitted the British weather to complete his skills and navigation test for the award of his much awaited PPL after a particularly extensive period of slow moving cold and warm fronts Steve began his training in 2005, his previous aviation experience included serving with the RAF and more latterly model aircraft flying. Completing most of his training in the old faithful ‘Papa Charlie’, Steve sites the most enjoyable part of the course as the navigation stage, venturing over the border to Devon armed with his logbook for signature back in December. Despite his new qualification Steve maintains he will remain at the club to continue his aviation career and is presently looking at doing a tail wheel conversion. Prompted by regular visits to the Isles of Scilly Mark Simmonds decided to expand his horizons by completing the IMC course. We would like to congratulate them both on their impressive achievements!
LOUGHBOROUGH TO LAND'S END
Westward Airways introduced two new members of staff, Brett Gibson and Stephen Burrough to the dedicated team at Land’s End. Brett Gibson has joined the company as a scenic pilot for the season. Stephen Burrough is the second flying instructor to join the School this year.
Flying is a small world as Brett and Stephen both attended Loughborough University and graduated in the same year, 1999. Brett had studied mathematics and Stephen, aeronautical engineering. By sheer coincidence both have found themselves working for the same company (Westward Airways) eight years after graduation.
Steve pictured centre with his band 'The Point of No Return' at his recent wedding in Bournemouth.
HANGAR CLEAN UP
The old wing that up until recently adorned the hangar wall has been removed. Despite the various legends surrounding it, (it was the remains of an aircraft whose pilot refused to pay the landing fee, or was the result of a world war II dog fight) the wing was actually a replica manufactured in Cambridge in the 1970’s and was used as a prop for films. Two of our valiant staff were snapped during its disposal. Please feel free to suggest a suitable caption?
DOUGANS TAKE TO THE SKIES
It is a rare day in the aviation world when a A340 pilot dons the much coveted hi visibility vest of Westward airways and takes the family for a spin round the peninsular in the scenic Cessna 172, but happen it did during the recent spell of good weather here at Land’s End. The pilot in question is Luke, our relief Scenic Pilot and Air Ground Radio Operator and pictured above with his wife Tamsin and chip off the old block Jago.
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