Friday 9 November 2012

STOP PRESS.......its official.

Congratulations everyone......

During the night we had official confirmation
 from Guinness HQ New York.
 Aerobility is now the proud owners of a new World Record.
9 days, 20 min continued flight simulation around the world
Well done team....



Saturday 20 October 2012

Andrew Leg 74 tells us about his flight...






“Aerobility 1, with a left turn out on track, runway 25, clear take off”.  Throttle forward and we start to roll.  Flashback,  27th July 1971, the cable tugged taught and the glider shot across the grass at RAF Gaydon.  It was my 16th birthday and first solo.  The winch did well, 1,100 ft when it normally only gets to 800’.  What a great day, fantastic views and it was all mine.  Having just seen the new Lionel Bart musical “Oliver” I broke into a chorus of “who will buy my wonderful morning” at the top of my lungs - open cockpit, no engine and now 700’, everyone on the ground could hear!  The first time I embarrassed myself in an aircraft, and not the last!
Thirty five years and eight thousand flying hours later, in 2006 I flew for  Aerobility with Ben Bennet from Lasham to Goodwood as his instructor.  He flew with his new PPL which he hadn’t had the chance to use so he needed a checkout.  He didn’t expect what followed so I will always remember the look on his face at Goodwood when I told him to get back in and take her away for an hour or so.., and yes he should take Louise Scotney as a passenger.  Thanks to Aerobility after my accident I got the chance to instruct again.  Later Mark Edgeworthy facilitated the opportunity to spend my university holidays flying Tiger Moths for Delta Aviation.  This led in turn to the Captains seat on a glass cockpit King Air powered by twin gas turbines flying for the Scottish Air Ambulance.  I had never thought I would fly again professionally.
But back to the real world, or do I mean sim, I am passing the Hoover dam, looking down to the left the Grand Canyon sinks downwards towards the Colorado, almost like Glen Clova in my own Scotland.  Well you have to don’t you… nose down 145 knots and dive between the canyon walls.  Wonder if this will be the fastest the sim flies during the global trip?  For the next ten minutes weaving along the canyon is the nearest this PA28 sim will ever get to being a Tornado Fighter.  I think how privileged I am.  The previous pilots before me were Tom Jones and Elvis, or so they claimed.  Turning up at Blackbushe at midnight to get ready for my sector bearing doughnuts for the ATCO’s, I didn’t expect them to be eaten by pop megastars at 0045hrs!  More importantly though, am I really climbing into a seat Buzz Aldrin sat in just a few sectors earlier and putting on his headset.  How cool is that for a pilot?
A lot of days are pretty miserable for me.  My chest injuries play up, I can’t sleep and I really don’t enjoy life.  But how lucky I am.  I can walk, talk, feel and see, have great friends and a wonderful wife.  Also I can still fly, it really means so much to me.  If you go into a crowded bar and one person there is a pilot, how will you know?  Don’t worry, he/she will tell you!  Until July this year I strapped myself behind hi tech screens and went off in all weathers to retrieve sick people in remote parts of Scotland, or maybe take a baby in an incubator down to Great Ormond Street.  Settling down after my accident in 2001 enabling me to return to aviation was in no small part down to Aerobility, Mike Miller-Smith and Mark Edgeworthy.  Without them I would probably just have used my PPL rather than the ATPL/IR.
Maybe in the real world, outside the sim, its 0345, I am struggling to get a new job and juggle every-day living dilemmas, but here in the virtual world I am crossing the desert, Phoenix is a blur in the distance and getting closer but the view is magic. Over the years with the air ambulance & as a flying instructor I have touched the lives of so many people.  Aerobility does the same.  With this wonderful simulator many more disabled people can learn & experience the wonder of flying  and let “slip the surly bonds of earth”
Thank you to everyone who sponsored me, and for the opportunity to be ‘one of the 100’.

Thursday 18 October 2012

Chris Evans films Nathan for the 'One Show' this Friday

As a direct result of everyone's teamwork during the GFSC, Chris decided to revisit Aerobility and make a film for this Friday's 
'The One Show' on BBC1






Sunday 14 October 2012

Stop Press... Stop Press... Stop Press...

GFSC has just been donated £50k to match the £50k we have raised...


Nuff said........................ thank you everyone for an incredible adventure


Leg 92 Brian Jones... Almost back!

Depart: Birmingham
Destination: Blackbushe
Leg Length:1hr

Flying experience
He's seen it all before but this time he's doing it for Aerobility.

Thanks for bringing us home Brian............





Leg 91 Colin Orman

Depart: Glasgow
Destination: Birmingham
Leg Length: 2hrs

Flying experience
Colin started out with model planes and then moved onto the big stuff in 2008 with a JAR PPL.
Flies a Rallye and Rockwell Commander with Brian Jones. Has 170hrs

Comment
Almost home... get the kettle on and the Bubbles on ice!!

Co-Pilot Joanna Jones




Leg 90 Dave Rawlins

Dave's always at home with his LED's
Depart: Stornaway
Destination: Glasgow
Leg Length: 3hrs 5min

Flying experience
Aerobility's  Paralympic hero

Comments
Cheers Dave, nearly home!

Co-Pilot
Richard Hutchins








Leg 89 Caielli Diego

Depart: Vagaar
Destination: Stornorway
Leg Length: 2 hrs

Flying experience
Glider pilot since 2006
NPPL student

Comments
Thanks for bringing us back into the UK Diego


Leg 88 Simon Crane

Depart: Keflavik
Destination: Vagaar
Leg Length: 3hrs 40min

Simon tells us about his experience

I was left with a disability after being injured on duty whilst working as a Police Officer.
I was lucky to be given a 6 week Flying Scholarship to 43 Air School South Africa in 2009 by FSDP.
Unfortunately I couldn't complete my Licence in South Africa after being refused a medical.
On return to the UK I was able to gain a medical and completed a NPPL with Aerobility.


Comments
Well done team Crane, great job.......

Co-pilot
Kayleigh silvana Crane







Sunday 14 - Day Ten at Mission Control!


Day ten, with the final flights back in to Blackbushe, from Faroe, stopping at Stornoway on the Isle of Lewis, Glasgow and Birmingham, and back to real rather than simulated weather!

Today’s pilots and when they fly (all times UK BST):

88  22.55 - 02.35  Simon Crane  Aerobility
89  02.45 - 04.45  Caielli Diego
90  04.55 - 08.00  Dave Rawlins  Aerobility Paralympic Games Pilot
91  08.10 - 10.10  Colin Orman  Stalbridge Dental Practice
92  10.20 - 11.20  Brian Jones  Breitling Orbiter Pilot

Information about Aerobility and the Challenge is easy to find on the right of your screen. Just a little of your support can make a big difference to disabled lives - click on the blue ‘donate’ button for options, from texting just five pounds upwards, the sky’s the limit!

Saturday 13 October 2012

Leg 87 John Cairns

Depart: Narsarsuaq
Destination: Keflavik
Leg Length: 6hrs and 20 minutes 

Flying experience
Mission control doesn't care... 6hrs 20minutes,  Greenland to Iceland non stop... 
...John, you're a flying legend!





Only this far to go............................


On the final glide now, only 15hrs and 2000 miles to run......... Huge respect to John Cairns who's currently flying for 6 hours 20 minutes!

Sorry, I missed out a few of our witnesses.....






Leg 86 Squadron Leader Mike Ling

Depart: Goose Bay
Destination: Narsarsuaq
Leg Length: 5hrs and 50min...

Flying Experinece
RAF flying scholarship
Tucano 'Creamie' QFI- 72(R) Sqn
Tornado F3 Pilot
Red Arrows (Red 3,7,6) 2008-2010
AEF Pilot, 1 AEF in 2011
Red 10- 2012

Co-pilot
Barney Pierce Jones ( eBay winner)

Comments
It's great to see the Red's supporting one of it's chosen charity's , Lingy 5hrs... you're a legend!








Thanks Sainsbury's for all your support


Andrew receives some bubbles donated for our welcome home reception!

Out-takes...