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John Eacott
30th Apr 2008, 07:11
This month’s calendar is from Ken Wells, and the photographer was Peter Meade. The R44 was photographed at the “Royal Berkshire Strut” of the Light Aircraft Association, Young Eagles Day. Ken and others flew Scouts at White Waltham Airfield, Berkshire, England. Needless to say, Ken is the pilot in this photo :ok:


Wide screen:

http://www.eacott.com.au/gallery/d/2066-2/May+2008+wide+thumb.jpg (http://www.eacott.com.au/gallery/d/2063-2/May+2008+wide.jpg)


Standard screen size:

http://www.eacott.com.au/gallery/d/2071-2/May+2008+thumb.jpg (http://www.eacott.com.au/gallery/d/2068-2/May+2008.jpg)





As always, for Windows users click on the thumbnail to open a higher resolution full picture, and then right click to select “Set as Background”. Mac users should select the background via System Preferences.

bell222
30th Apr 2008, 09:24
nice image :ok:

Ken Wells
30th Apr 2008, 10:13
Thanks, :Owe do this every year all aircraft and Pilots volunteer to give these kid's some air experience, have to say last year the R44 and a Bucker Jungman were the two favorites out of 8 aircraft used.:ok:

Arranged by Mike Clews in conjunction with the local Royal Berkshire Strut of the LAA(neePFA) and local Sea Scouts and Scouts, amazingly enough the AirCadets did not respond to the invitation.:D

Senior Pilot
30th Apr 2008, 10:43
Ken,

If I understand correctly, do you donate the flying to achieve this? If so, well done: we all benefit in the long run to have the "next generation" exposed positively to helicopters :D

Scouts and Sea Scouts: are there no Air Scouts these days?


:ok:

moosp
30th Apr 2008, 13:00
Well there are in Hong Kong. A troup recently started, in parallel with the Air Cadets that we have here, along the lines of the UK Air Scouts.

We shall give them air experience flying when we can from the HK Aviation Club.

36lima
30th Apr 2008, 15:44
On a slightly related note: my daughter had her 9th birthday on Sunday and one of her presents was a ride in an R22 at the school I'm attending. She had a blast and, hopefully, the experience may at least open her to the option of being a pilot herself someday (the pilot was a young female CFI so, maybe that's even more of an incentive to see someone she can identify with flying the ship).

It's funny, sometimes I feel like a heli-evangelist :) Trying to convert as many as possible. . . young or old.

Kelly

Ken Wells
30th Apr 2008, 19:07
If I understand correctly, do you donate the flying to achieve this? If so, well done: we all benefit in the long run to have the "next generation" exposed positively to helicopters


All the Pilots donate their time and aircraft. Our reward is seeing these kids come alive when they experience different types of flight for the first time!

We all love flying and it's a good excuse to go flying. (as if we need an excuse)

When I was at school my careers teacher told me I could not be a pilot, because I was not at the right school!
I thought then what a load of bollocks and years later was quite chuffed, when he turned up at the club as was working at; for a "Birthday trial flight" to find out he was my next student!!!!

What goes around comes around.

If you have a chance to nurture a spark in youngsters DO IT!

Get them out at the local airfield helping out and being around Aircraft, take them flying and you will have the next generation of pilots, rather that the next generation of Grand Theft Auto , joyriders.

As we say to them on the day.

"You are only limited by your own imagination"

MartinCh
1st May 2008, 08:50
It's funny, sometimes I feel like a heli-evangelist Trying to convert as many as possible. . . young or old.

Or should we say, heli-proselyte? :E :)

Just about time you started. Few more years and she'd rebel to anything.
I do agree that exposing youngsters to flying has some benefits. It doens't mean they'd consider pro career, but as we know, spare time PPL+hours can become CPL though not originally planned. Reminds me of Hana Zejdova, daughter of one Czech glider record breaker. She set bunch of records in high perf gliders in Australia, both world female and Czech records. She was also girl when she started.

Wish I had the environment and financial backing when young. Can only be tad (OK, big time) jealous. Keep up the good work of 'converting'. Always nice to have more female pilots around.

Bath
2nd May 2008, 09:41
Senior Pilot wrote
If I understand correctly, do you donate the flying to achieve this? If so, well done: we all benefit in the long run to have the "next generation" exposed positively to helicopters :D


I agree well done, nice pic.

jolly girl
4th May 2008, 00:03
Yes we have a similar program in the States, the "Young Eagles" sponsored by EAA. I've had the good fortune to take some future pilots up (-A) and would recommend it to anyone who has the opportunity.

rotorfan
4th May 2008, 06:05
I've been a Young Eagle Coordinator for my EAA chapter for 10+ years, and a Flight Leader (Young Eagles pilot) since 1994. I'll hit the 500-kids flown mark this summer. This is a highly rewarding program. The obvious goal is to get the youngsters interested in aviation as a career or hobby, or spark their interest in learning anything else.

But, there are side benefits, too.
1) Even though the flights are fairly routine from one to the next (deliberately), it makes me feel like I'm doing something important when I fly, not just turning fuel into noise.

2) In the U.S. tax code, it's treated as a charitable activity generating a tax deduction, so each hour really costs about 70% of typical.

3) There are perks for the pilots as a thank-you, like a cap at 50 kids flown, a shirt at 100 (it's the most expensive shirt I own!), a jacket at 300, etc.

Now, for the IMPORTANT reasons.

4) You get a shot at influencing a young person in a positive way, often planting a seed about what they can accomplish in life. Right now, there are two young men at university that I've given several flights to that are studying for professional pilot careers. There is a 16-year-old girl who I first flew at 12, and she's now got over 20 hours toward a PPL. (That gives me a great feeling.) I flew her father, too, and the bug bit him. He's become a PPL.

5) It bring families, particularly the parents, to the airport, when they would not have likely ever come to the airport for another reason. They get to see that folks in general aviation are not fatcats, but just average people who happen to be passionate about flight. They also see that we're safe, thinking people, not daredevils or idiots, as Hollywood usually portrays us. This opportunity to educate the average public is a huge thing. This goes a long way toward improving the image of G.A.

6) The parents (read: taxpayers) see a constructive activity at the airport. Too many people here think of airports as a gross waste and misuse of land and money. This actually helped us recently when there was a vote in the city that would have badly hurt our airport. (The ultimate goal of some land developers was to close the airport so they could get their grubby paws on the land.) Fortunately, the voting public saw that the proposal was stupid, and rejected it. We all think that the Young Eagles flights helped at least a little in swaying the opinions of the voters.

7) By getting more people involved in aviation, we help ourselves to sustain it. Most purchased things will go down in cost as the volume sold goes up. If more people fly, there's more incentive for airframe and avionics builders to keep improving their products, more reason for the oil refiners to continue to produce avgas, etc.

If you haven't flown in the Young Eagles Program, get started! We have as much fun as the kids do. Your name and the name of the kids goes into the World's Largest Logbook, maintained in Oshkosh. Currently, there have been 1.38 million kids flown. :ok: See the website for more info at youngeagles.com.

rf

Bath
5th May 2008, 14:40
Well said Rotofan:ok:

Ken Wells
6th May 2008, 20:46
We are holding another Young Eagles day at White Waltham this Saturday, all volunteers with or without aircraft welcome. For WLAC members the club will hire out aircraft at staff rates for those Pilots who participate.

Free food and drink for all Pilots. and a few beers at the end of the day.


Please PM if you can help.

Cheers

SilsoeSid
7th May 2008, 10:24
Well done everyone for giving these children the opportunity to fly.

I was just wondering, in cars we have to use booster seats/seat belt adjusters, does the same apply in aircraft?

whack_job
10th May 2008, 03:04
boring, give me a machine that deals death from the sky any day.:}

The Nr Fairy
10th May 2008, 06:29
whack_job:

Did you ask someone else what your PPRuNe name should be ?

Besides the fact that a) people think the Robinson range deals death from the skies on a regular basis and b) the picture is of someone donating their time and money to give kids a bit of fun, what a memorable first post. :rolleyes:

whack_job
10th May 2008, 14:35
thank you very much

Peter Meade
10th May 2008, 14:38
Hello,
I'm glad you liked the R44 photo.
The scouts sort-off had a machine that deals death from the sky; a Spitfire flew in and landed at White Waltham and those scouts who stayed had their photos taken around it.
I'll try to get some of the photos processed in the very near future.

Pete

www.petermeadephotography.co.uk

mark_
12th May 2008, 21:42
shouldn't the duals be removed especially with a youngster in the front?

whack_job
13th May 2008, 17:56
mark, WHAT??

Its young eagles mate, kids FLYING aircraft, FLYING.

Do you get it, the kids get to go FLYING.

What do you think the kid is going to do, go crazy and try to kill everyone on board, come on man.

Go be PC elsewhere.

Bravo73
14th May 2008, 10:24
mark_,

The answer is 'yes'.


Just ignore whack job. Never has a username been more apt... :rolleyes: