Learning to fly has no barriers
A NATIONAL disabled flying charity in Camberley has relaunched its scholarship programme for people aged 14 and over.
Aerobility, based at Blackbushe Airport, has opened its flying programme with scholarships awarded to fund an initial five-hour course for successful applicants.
With ongoing assessment and reviews, this can be extended to meet individual flying ambitions, potentially all the way to a Private Pilot Licence (PPL).
Harvey Matthewson, aviation activities officer at Aerobility, said: “Aerobility funded scholarships enable anyone with any disability to learn to fly, irrespective of financial means. They are one of the ways we remove the financial as well as the physical barriers to accessing aviation. Taking the controls of an aircraft is a life changing experience and poses the question, ‘If I can fly an aeroplane, what else can I do?’
“We would urge anyone who has a disability and would like to try flying to get in touch to find out more and apply for one of our popular scholarships.”
Catherine Ruddick, an Aerobility scholar, said: “When I was medically discharged from the Army in 2017 with recurrent depression, I struggled to find motivation for finding work or indeed for living life, as I felt I had lost my confidence and purpose.
“I was introduced to Aerobility when I attended a veteran’s event at Gatwick Airport where BA was offering airline simulator flights.
“Unfortunately, it then took me 18 months to pluck up the courage to apply for the experience flight due to my mental health. My expectation was to fly once or twice just to enjoy the experience as a passenger; as with a history of depression requiring medication, I did not think gaining a PPL was possible.
“My Aerobility experience flight in a PA28 was fantastic and I was buzzing for days afterwards. Having recently achieved flying solo with Aerobility and progressing with my written exams, I hope to complete my PPL this month.”
The application window will close on Monday April 18.
Individuals can apply for the scholarship programme by visiting: https://www.aerobility.com/scholarships