Story
Welcome to my fundraising page for Aerobility, a charity that has become dear to my heart having visited their headquarters and met CEO Mike Miller-Smith last June. I was so overwhelmed by their work to provide people with disabilities with the opportunity to fly, that I decided to make Aerobility my charity of the year at NATS. Having met some of the people that have benefited from Aerobility’s work the impact the charity has is clear to see; stimulating achievement, challenging perceptions and boosting self-esteem.
We set a fundraising target of £100,000, which we have now exceeded..! This will enable Aerobility to buy a new specially adapted aircraft and extend the gift of flight to even more people. To help achieve our fundraising goal, I invited the whole of NATS to lend their support to this good cause by doing something BIG for Aerobility.
The BIG Glide
I did my bit too! Many thanks for your kind sponsorship for the Big Glide challenge, which I am pleased to say was successfully completed - I have attached a couple of photos for your interest. Over £4,000 has been raised so far….. and I’m still collecting!
On the day I flew in a Nimbus 3DT open class glider with a wing span of over 25m. We set off from Lasham airfield, near Basingstoke, completing the 150km circuit taking in Aerobility’s base at Blackbushe airfield, NATS Corporate Technical Centre in Whitely and Swanwick centre, and then back to Lasham.
To achieve the distance needed to complete this route I had to gain at least 10,000ft of ascent by navigating my way between areas of warm rising air, known as thermals whilst negotiating airspace and choosing the best route. I had a trained pilot on board for backup but otherwise it was up to me to navigate and fly the 150km route. We had good weather and the views were amazing, it was a memorable day and I’m delighted we did it and raised so much money for a great cause. I have to admit I was slightly nervous to begin with!
Many thanks again, your support is very much appreciated!