Relay takes to the skies

A flying relay taking in 700 nautical miles across the skies of Scotland over two days touched down in Courier Country yesterday.

The Freedom of Flight Relay Challenge is a series of successive sponsored plane hops chartered to land at an airport or aerodrome in every region of Scotland.

Each section of the journey is flown by a disabled pilot or one under instruction.

The aim is to raise awareness of disabled flying, as well as funds to support more disabled people to fly and, in so doing, raise their confidence and selfesteem.

The Freedom of Flight event took off in Glasgow yesterday morning, with organiser Pauline Gallagher at the controls of a Piper Cherokee Warrior 2. Pauline, 39, a Dundee University graduate who has athetoid cerebral palsy and moderate hearing loss, flew via Skye and Oban to Inverness before handing over to 28-year-old David Morton, who navigated the aircraft to Perth and then Dundee.

Pauline then flew over the Tay to Leuchars and on to Prestwick to complete day one of the challenge.

Day two, on Thursday, will see Pauline and others take to the skies again, predominantly over the west of Scotland.

Pauline, who wasn’t able to walk until she was four years old, took her first solo flight in April 2011.

For more information visit www.freedom-of-flight.co.uk.