Scouts take to the skies

SCOUTS have been taking to the skies over Swindon for a special training course.More than 30 youngsters from in and around the town, as well as from Gloucester, spent the weekend camped at a private airfield to learn the basics of navigation and flying in small aircraft.The event, run by members of the Popular FlyingAssociation (PFA) in conjunction with the Scouts, is one of 15 camps taking place nationally this year, allowing the youngsters to gain                                                                                       badges in aviation, navigation and meteorology. By Saturday afternoon all 31 Scouts had completed the theory of navigation, planned a 20-minute flight and taken to the skies under supervision, enjoying the chance to fly their own route and take control of steering. Some lucky ones were able to experience a microlight, wrapping up warm in special suits and gloves to protect them from the elements. Despite thunderstorms and rain across the Swindon skyline, the group had a dry and sunny afternoon at their base, between Swindon and Marlborough .

Organiser Dave Ockenden said: "Most of them have never flown in a light aircraft or small plane before this camp. "And they come down from their flights grinning from ear to ear." Alan Twigg, from Wootton Bassett, is on the national board of the PFA and says its members give up their time and resources for free in order to pass on the love of flying to a younger generation. "We are getting on in years, and want to get more people into aviation," he said." The Scouts don't have the links into this kind of thing like the Air Cadets do, and we can't get things running with schools because of the level of risk assessments, so these camps suit everyone."When we first started at Windrush, the pilots were coming down from the flights and at their first tea break were saying they were amazed at how engaged the groups were. "Novice navigators came from Scout groups in Swindon , Chiseldon and Gloucester .

Callum Norris, 11, from Gloucester , said: "It was scary at first but I got used to it once we'd taken off." Harry Cook, 13, from Pewsey, said the flights themselves could be a bit bumpy in cloudy conditions.And Alex Cheape, 11, from Gloucester , had done a good job of remembering his route. "We started at the camp, then went to Welford, up to Grove and from there to the White Horse and back to camp," he said.

2:19pm   Monday 25th June 2007