Airbus Filton
Horizons Community Review 2016
The Bristol Eco-Flyer Meet our new baby: the fabulous, Bristol-built experimental electric plane. Page 4-5
Making the impossible possible Find out how the Airbus A400M helped lift Hollywood superstar Tom Cruise to new heights. Page 2
Flying in to help Responding to emergencies around the world. Page 8
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Horizons Community Review 2016
During 2015 Airbus employees are proud to have… Reached more than 150,000 young people through STEM* activities Raised more than £150,000 for local charities Supported more than 12,000 young people with employability skills Hosted more than 1,500 community visitors Inspired 1,240 girls in STEM activities
A400M makes Mission Possible Mission Impossible – Rogue Nation was one of the biggest films of 2015 – and the biggest star of the film was Airbus’ very own A400M aircraft! That’s the huge military plane that the film’s leading actor, Tom Cruise, clings onto during the film’s most exciting sequence. In the all-action scene used to promote the film, the multibillion pound actor runs over the A400M wing before holding onto the side of the aircraft as it takes off.
Hosted 880 work experience days
Wings for all the A400M military airlifters are made in Filton.
Supported more than 400 industrial cadets Engaged with more than 400 teachers at placement events Regularly read to 120 Primary School children Run more than 100 fundraising events for charity Supported almost 100 local community projects Attended 50 careers events Hosted 27 school /university visits to Airbus sites *Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths
Tom Cruise rides the Airbus A400M during filming of Mission Impossible – Rogue Nation © Paramount Pictures and Skydance Productions
The aircraft used in the film was a test aircraft. Representatives from Paramount Pictures’ film crew, made an initial visit to get to know the aircraft, shape, size and what it could feasibly do.
Tom did a further seven takes before he and the team were happy with the results. Each time the plane reached heights of 3,000 ft and Tom was facing winds of 150mph.
Tom Cruise was introduced to the A400M in July 2014 at Brize Norton in Oxfordshire and said it was “awesome”.
In the second stunt, Tom is seen running across the wing as the aircraft taxies at 40mph. This part of the sequence was filmed 13 times over three hours.
There were months of preparations before the plane, in the capable hands of test pilot Ed Strongman, took to the skies with Tom Cruise hanging off the side! He was actually attached by a cable which can’t be seen in the film.
Afterwards, Tom said: “The people of Airbus were wonderful and it was an incredible experience!”
Andy’s on the road to Rio Airbus employee Andy Lewis is aiming to be part of the Great Britain team at the 2016 Paralympic Games in Rio de Janeiro. Since December 2014 Andy, who works in Procurement, has been sponsored by Airbus and has been on sabbatical, training full time in the hope of his achieving his ambition to be part of the triathlon team. Currently ranked the number one paratriathlete in the UK, Andy’s journey to the very top of the sporting ladder has been unconventional and inspirational. He left the UK’s Parachute Regiment after a road accident when he was 16, and subsequently lost the lower half of one leg. Andy went on to gain his private pilot’s licence and establish a successful career. He rekindled his love of running seven years ago and to compete in triathlon he’s also had to become a first-class swimmer and cyclist. Andy said: “It would be incredible to compete for an Olympic medal.”
Cover Picture: The Bristol Eco-Flyer Team See centre pages
2015 a busy
year…
January Administrator Louise Evans was named champion baker after her healthy New Year New You cake was voted the best in category in a Great British Bake Off style competition held at Airbus’ Filton site. The competition raised almost £200 for charity.
He spends four days a week at a state-of-the-art sports facility in Loughborough as part of the World Class Performance Project. He trains with some of the UK’s top professionals and works with a sports psychologist. He says the hardest thing is spending so much time away from his family. February A new work experience programme was launched to give young people the best possible experience when they come into Airbus. The programme is designed to develop personal skills and raise careers awareness during a week of activities and experiences.
March Finance graduate William Nicks came fourth in the world and third in the UK in one of his Chartered Institute of Management accounting exams. Will gained 84% in one paper, more than all but three of the 5,394 candidates worldwide.
April Airbus won two awards at the South West regional Construction Excellence Awards. The renovation of Pegasus House, the Head Office of Airbus’ Filton site, was recognised in the Heritage category and the supply chain voted Airbus in the UK ‘Client of the Year’ for work on the new Airbus Aerospace Park.
Andy said: “I am committed to encouraging and supporting children and young people interested in taking up sport.” He is particularly keen to help young people with disability. He has also been helping promote diversity awareness through motivational speaking, and as part of his sponsorship with Airbus.
To support Andy and receive regular updates directly, you can find him on Facebook or follow his progress on Twitter @Bladerunnerandy May Almost 250 people toured the Airbus Filton site during a hugely successful Open Day for the families and friends of employees. The visitors were treated to guided tours of different parts of the site including the A350 XWB and A380 Landing Gear Test facilities and the Bristol Aerospace Collection Trust exhibit.
June An Airbus Filton team designed and built a prototype component that will help Airbus aircraft transport passengers to the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics. The team made a wing panel that will help A320 family planes take off and land on short runways, with a focus on Brazil’s Santos Dumont airport.
July Employees from Airbus visited RAF Brize Norton to witness the ‘standing up’ of the RAF’s 70 Squadron in the presence of Her Royal Highness The Princess Royal. The Squadron will operate the RAF’s latest A400M aircraft in tactical and strategic air lift roles. Wings for the A400M are manufactured at Filton.
Horizons Community Review 2016
© MoD/Crown Copyright 2015
Horizons is the Airbus community magazine. Its aim is to let our neighbours in Filton, Bristol and the wider areas know what we’ve been doing during the past 12 months.
RAF’s first A400M honours city The Royal Air Force’s first A400M Atlas military airlifter has been named “City of Bristol” after the place where its wings were made and as a tribute to the important role the city and its people have played in creating the aircraft. This is the first time in 40 years such an honour has been bestowed on an RAF aircraft, testament to the importance of A400M and its future service with the air force. As part of the celebrations, the aircraft flew past the Airbus Filton site, dipping its wings as it passed the A400M wing manufacturing facility to cheers from hundreds of onlookers. Airbus employees were joined by colleagues from RollsRoyce, GKN Aerospace, Atkins, Messier-Dowty and other aerospace businesses. Also watching were representatives from the RAF and the Government. Stuart Coghill worked on the wings for the plane. He said: “It’s a fantastic aircraft and it’s great that the part we all played and all our hard work, has been recognised in this way. Each time it flies, Bristol will be remembered!”
Claire Thorne, Head of Engineering A400M Industrial Support said: “Today was history in the making and it makes me proud that the part Airbus has played in that history has been recognised.” Minister for Defence Equipment, Support and Technology Philip Dunne said he was thrilled to visit Filton because his interest in aviation and in politics stemmed from seeing Concorde as a boy.
Each time it flies, Bristol will be remembered!” “We wanted to put on record our gratitude to everyone involved in this programme,” he said. The aircraft flew over Bristol’s Clifton Suspension Bridge a few days earlier, linking the city’s engineering heritage from the days of the bridge’s designer, Isambard Kingdom Brunel, to the work taking place at Airbus, Filton, today.
Work starts on new home for Concorde
Mark Stewart General Manager and Human Resources Director
The scaffolding has gone up and preparatory work has started inside the former World War I hangar at the northern edge of the site. It will eventually house the reception area for the new Bristol Aerospace Centre together with a shop and a café and two large areas that will tell the story of the aviation industry in Bristol. Concorde 216, which has been grounded beside the enormous Brabazon hangar where it was originally built, will move into a bespoke new building, next to the World War I hangar. Work is due to start on this building soon. Concorde 216 was the last Concorde to be built and the last to fly. It made its maiden flight on April 20th 1979 and returned to Bristol on November 26th, 2003, cheered home by hundreds of thousands of onlookers.
Coming home Concorde 216 lands at Filton on 26 November 2003
The new Bristol Aerospace Centre will focus on education and learning as well as celebrating Bristol’s noble aerospace heritage. The centre will work closely with local schools and with the support of companies including Airbus, GKN and Rolls-Royce, it will offer a unique partnership between education and the aviation industry. For more information visit:
Airbus apprentices won a competition to design an aircraft using a flight simulator. The team constructed a virtual model of a glider which was ‘flown’ in a simulator by test pilot Dave Southwood who praised it for giving such a lifelike experience.
Inspired by the huge success of the Rugby World Cup, Airbus employees at Filton have been learning to play touch rugby in their lunch hours. The sport has all the fun and drama of the real thing, but without the risk of being heavily tackled.
October A team from Airbus organised a motivational event with a difference. The team, who work in A350 XWB wing development, took part in a ‘Mission Possible’ challenge in support of the Children’s Hospice South West.
November Fearless employees took on the Monster Challenge – and won! Eight people completed the terrifyingly muddy course at Charlton Park in Wiltshire running either 5k or 10k in between obstacles and raised more than £1,000 for the Children’s Hospice South West.
Royal Aeronautical Society anniversary 2016 marks the 150th anniversary of one of the world’s most historic and influential aviation organisations – the Royal Aeronautical Society or RAeS. The anniversary celebrations will focus on looking back to the Society’s formation in 1866 and forward to the next 50 years with a theme of ‘innovative firsts’ in aerospace. As some of the UK’s most historic and influential aviation innovations took place right here at Filton, we’re looking forward to being involved! The objectives for the programme of celebrations include stimulating ideas, inspiring young people about past and future aerospace achievements and celebrating the contribution aerospace makes to advancing progress.
www.bristolaero.org September
It’s been another very busy year for Airbus. You might have seen in the news that we’ve had a great year for orders for our aircraft but did you know that all the wings for all Airbus aeroplanes are designed by our engineers here in Filton – including the wings for our latest aircraft the A350 XWB and the A320neo which will reduce fuel burn by up to 20%. We are continuing to invest in our capabilities and recently announced two new research projects worth £14.2m involving fuel systems and how we will support the manufacture of the next generation of advanced metallic wings. Not only that, but the wings for the A400M military airlifter which is being actively used by our own RAF are actually made on the site and then transported via road, sea and air to Seville to be fitted to the rest of the aircraft. You can find out more about newer aircraft, as well as our old favourite, Concorde, in this magazine. It’s also packed with news about what our people do within the wider community. We hope you find it an interesting read and would love to hear your feedback. Use the form on the back page to let us know your thoughts and you could win a top prize to Bristol Zoo! With best wishes from myself and everyone at Filton.
Work has started on the new £17.5m home for Concorde at Filton.
August
As one of the larger employers in the South West with 4,000 people directly employed at our Filton site, we are very conscious of our responsibility to be good neighbours. We are committed to staying in touch, by working in the community, in education – forging close links with schools, colleges and universities, by our passion for fundraising to support charities and by communicating with you.
December Airbus hosted a week-long series of events designed to make people more aware of disabilities in the workplace, especially those which are not immediately obvious. There were workshops, an exhibition of pictures and other activities organised by the diversity team.
In 2013, Jenny Body OBE, former Airbus head of Research and Technology and Business Development, was inaugurated as the first female President of the RAeS creating her own first. During 2016, His Royal Highness the Prince of Wales will act as Honorary President of the Society.
www.aerosociety.org
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a new way of flying This year a new aeroplane will take to the skies over Bristol for the first time. It will be the first aircraft to be completely built at Filton since the supersonic Concorde more than 30 years ago.
Called the Bristol Eco-Flyer, the two-seater experimental electric plane will be the first Airbus aircraft to have 3D-printed major components and the first in the world to use a 3D-printed fuselage. It will also produce no polluting carbon emissions in flight. The project is being managed by talented young Airbus employees and was launched as part of the Bristol Green Capital of Europe initiative, which Airbus supported. Project leader Rob Fanner explained that it was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for our people to be involved in an incredibly innovative project. “Most of those involved are either apprentices or graduates, professionals at the beginning of their careers working under the mentorship of experienced senior engineers and others working in support functions,” said Rob. “A number of volunteers are also supporting the project in their free time.”
Keep an eye on local media for more news about the Bristol EcoFlyer.
Building a brand new kind of aircraft from scratch brings plenty of challenges. For one thing the incredibly tight timescales mean the design had to be relatively simple. The team also had to find new ways of working together, to make the most of the little time they had – but there are benefits too. For one thing, the Bristol Eco-Flyer is a great opportunity to try out new technologies, in materials, on the aircraft, and in the way it is being built. The design features an ultra-efficient wing and an integrated, battery-powered propulsion system to ensure it can fly on as little power as possible. Rob explained that using 3D-printed parts is also efficient as it results in no waste material. The propeller is made from wood approved by the Forestry Stewardship Council and is slow spinning which reduces noise. The team has even minimised their carbon footprint by using digital designs, so there is very little use of paper and ink in the process. “It’s a fantastic project to be involved in as it gives us the opportunity to learn, to build networks, and to develop, using creativity and innovation when time is short and we’re under pressure,” said Rob. “The Eco-Flyer is also a great subject for us to use to educate the younger generations about the importance of sustainability, and for us to engage young people in the STEM subjects of Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths.” When it’s ready to fly, the plane will ‘cruise’ at 3,000 feet at a speed of around 75 knots – although it will be able to fly faster than that. It will have the capacity to remain airborne for an hour.
Meet some of the team: Rob Fanner: “The Bristol EcoFlyer project aims to promote Airbus’ and Bristol’s involvement in improving the environmental effects of the aviation industry. It is a showcase of the potential of sustainable aviation which Airbus is trying to achieve.”
Horizons Community Review 2016
Aircraft Data Powerplant Total motor power: Energy target:
48 kilowatt 20 kilowatt hours
Performance Standard Operating altitude Manoeuvring speed VA: Design cruise speed VC: Never exceed speed VNE: Endurance: Lift to drag ratio:
3000 feet 86 knots 75 knots 123 knots 1hour 25
Cyclists Tom Monaghan and Richard Hayman press the green button and pledge to cycle to work watched by Simon Tomlinson, Chairman of the Airbus Bicycle Users Group.
Weights Target empty weight: Maximum take-off weight:
578 kilograms 750 kilograms
Pledge to support the environment
Dimensions Wing span: Wing area: Length: Tail height: Canopy height:
18.6 metres 18 m2 8.8 metres 3.2 metres 1.8 metres
Capacity Crew:
Bristol was named European Green Capital at the beginning of 2015. This was great news for the city because it showed that local efforts towards helping the environment and the economy had been recognised.
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Gosha Barzowska:
Liam Glen:
Nikul Bhadasia:
“We’re hoping the Eco-Flyer will help encourage young people to think about a career in engineering. It wasn’t until I met a young engineer at Airbus that I realised how exciting the aerospace industry is! Whichever discipline employees are involved in, it’s important for everyone to continue spreading the word to the next generations and to grow this amazing community!”
“The Bristol EcoFlyer offers a glimpse into the future of aviation, an industry which is increasingly being driven by the need to reduce fuel consumption, from both environmental and cost saving points of view. As a project on the cutting edge, it highlights the technical expertise and commitment to innovation at Airbus, and puts engineering in Bristol and the South-West on the global map.”
“The project is important for young engineers to develop technical experience with newer technologies such as electric propulsion and 3D Printing. The smaller scale of the Eco-Flyer project enables deeper understanding of the whole aircraft design and many opportunities to implement new ideas.”
Ross Field: George Jenkins: “This project can provide inspiration to young people in Bristol and further afield, and potentially encourage later interest in aviation. In addition to this, it is a valuable experience for all the engineers working on the project: the graduates and apprentices learning about the elements of aircraft design and certification, as well as the senior advising engineers, who can pick up new knowledge, or alternative methods and processes for design and certification, which can then be fed back into the business.”
“I’ve learnt a lot from this project about how an entire aircraft design process works. We follow the same overall procedures as the larger Airbus aircraft, just on smaller scales and with shorter timeframes! It’s been a great opportunity to network and work with senior guys in the company who have been around for years – after all as young engineers we have to get them to check our methods!”
The award is given to a city each year that has been recognised for leading the way towards a more sustainable life and setting an example to inspire other cities to do the same. As a main sponsor of the Bristol Green Capital of Europe initiative, Airbus took part in a number of exciting projects. In June, thousands of entrepreneurs, inventors and business people visited Venturefest Bristol and Bath, an event designed to showcase the best of the region’s enterprise and innovation. Venturefest was co-sponsored by Airbus and featured more than 140 exhibitors, all proudly demonstrating why the South West is at the cutting edge of business technology. Airbus sponsored the Advanced Engineering Zone and visitors had the chance to see a model of the Eco-Flyer and the Airbus E-Fan electric aircraft. The E-Fan is a prototype two-seater electric aircraft that was first demonstrated to the world’s press at the 2014 Farnborough Air Show. Airbus extended the green theme to a number of other educational and community events during the year. These included the Big Bang engineering fair – a celebration of science and technology, and the TeenTech West event at Gloucestershire Cricket Club, a highly interactive science education activity designed to inspire young people from all backgrounds to develop the skills needed for technical careers.
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NEWS IN BRIEF Teachers’ fact-finding visit A group of 17 teachers attended a workshop as part of the Airbus STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Maths) outreach activity. The purpose was to inspire and engage the teachers about the world of aerospace.
Tenth birthday for our big baby In 2015, Airbus celebrated the tenth anniversary of the first flight of the A380 ‘Superjumbo’ – the world’s largest commercial aeroplane. Since the A380 first flew with Singapore Airlines, a total of 85 million passengers have travelled on board during the course of more than 2 million flight hours and more than 230,000 flights.
250th milestone for easyJet and Airbus
Volunteers help school in India Volunteers from Airbus travelled to Bangalore, India, to help improve and brighten facilities at a school in an underprivileged part of the city. The five Airbus volunteers worked alongside colleagues from partner company QuEST to build new water tanks, a basketball court and to paint and decorate some areas of the school. They also started work on a shelter to protect the children from the sun while they are praying or eating outside. Working in temperatures of 35 degrees, the team shifted tonnes of building materials and carried out extensive welding work on beams for the new structure.
Thirteen Airbus apprentices and four former apprentices graduated at Bristol Cathedral. The 13 were the first in England to attain a degree whilst completing an apprenticeship and six of them achieved first class honours.
Up to speed with Bloodhound Young employees from Airbus visited the Bloodhound Technical Centre in Avonmouth Bristol to discover more about the project. Bloodhound is a global, 1,000 mph world land speed record attempt designed to inspire the next generation to get involved in science, technology, engineering and maths.
Despite the poverty, they are always smiling. We enjoyed playing with them so much, but we had to get on with our work!” Volunteer Mathieu Normand said: “The children in India have absolutely nothing; some of them don’t even have shoes to wear. Some go to school because their parents know that at least they’ll get one decent meal there.
The initiative was part of Airbus’ Off-shore Development Centre (ODC) partnership in India with QuEST. This is the third consecutive year that Airbus volunteers have been helping at the Government Model Primary School A. Narayanapura in India.
Airbus launches scholarships
Honours for employees
The team, who all work in engineering, also spent time playing with the children, organising games and lessons and taking photographs to decorate their classrooms.
“Despite the poverty, they are always smiling. It was difficult to balance our time because we enjoyed playing with them so much, but we had to get on with our work!”
There were celebrations at an event to mark the delivery of the 250th Airbus A320 family aircraft to easyJet. The airline’s chief executive Carolyn McCall said: “This milestone symbolises the long term and successful partnership between Airbus and easyJet.”
Professor Ian Lane, Airbus Ambassador for the University of Bristol, presented the inaugural Airbus Group Scholarships to four new Aerospace Engineering undergraduates at the University of Bristol.
The aim was to make the school, built in a very poor area, a more attractive and secure environment for the 350 children, aged between four and 14 years, who study there.
Airbus moves to help new conservation project For the last eight years, Airbus has been supporting a Bristol-based project to help save the critically endangered Livingston Fruit Bats in their native forest home on the remote Comoros islands. The Comoros project, led by Bristol Zoological Society, has been focused around modifying land use and introducing new farming techniques to prevent the loss of the remaining forest in which the bats live. Airbus’ support will now focus on another of Bristol Zoological Society’s crucial conservation projects. The Society’s Richard Rollings said: “One of the projects most in need of support is in the Philippines, where huge ecosystems are in peril. Forests and the endangered animals that inhabit them are disappearing frighteningly quickly.” The critically endangered Negros bleeding heart dove is one of the species most at risk – there are thought to be only around 300 left in the world – and Airbus has committed to sponsor the Society’s’ campaign to help preserve and protect the dove and its habitat for the next three years. Richard explained that illegal deforestation on the island of Negros is having a negative impact on the wildlife that inhabits this forest and nearby communities.
Over the past 200 years, 95% of the original forest has disappeared and total deforestation could occur within 20 years, along with 35 other species currently under threat of extinction unless new ways of living can be introduced to the local, rural poor people – much in the same way as the Comoros project. The Bristol Zoological Society are focussed on finding ’win-wins’ for people and wildlife. Reforestation initiatives and alternative livelihoods for local people will be key, and Airbus is proud to be supporting this initiative. For more information go to:
www.bristolzoo.org.uk For a chance to win passes to Bristol Zoo see page 8
Horizons Community Review 2016
NEWS IN BRIEF A flavour of diversity An Airbus team celebrated its cultural diversity by cooking and sharing food from around the world. The 13-strong team comprised employees from 11 different countries who each brought in a home-cooked dish and also raised £122 for charity!
Meet our favourite new recruit! This is Gus, a highly-skilled professional who started work at Airbus’ Filton site in August 2015.
Hearing dogs are trained to work around different situations and to suit an individual owner’s needs. They respond to voice or hand signals and communicate via their own specific signals.
Gus is a two-year-old pedigree Golden Labrador who successfully completed intensive training with the Hearing Dogs for Deaf People organisation to become a Hearing Dog.
At Airbus, Gus alerts Helen-France to the telephone ringing, lets her know if somebody is behind her, warns her of danger and tells her if somebody is calling her name. He will also lead her to that person if requested.
He partners Helen-France Baker, an administrator who is profoundly deaf. During working hours, he can often be seen carrying his favourite teddy through the office before settling quietly by Helen’s desk. He accompanies her everywhere she goes on the lead.
The benefits aren’t just confined to work. “Dogs help break down social barriers. Now I have Gus, people come up to me and ask questions. It makes a big difference,” HelenFrance said.
Helen-France said: “Having a hearing dog has made a positive difference to almost every aspect of my life. “I lost my hearing 15 years ago and my life changed completely. Hearing is a basic sense that you take for granted and not being able to hear is an isolating experience. “Because deafness is an invisible disability, people sometimes approach and speak, but if they are behind me or to the side, I am not aware. With Gus and his official Hearing Dog jacket, it is apparent that I have a hearing problem.”
Airbus has a policy of diversity and inclusion and we are proud to be supporting Helen-France to work with her dog at Filton.” Airbus’ Diversity and Inclusion Manager Lyndsey Worthington said: “Airbus has a policy of diversity and inclusion and we are proud to be supporting Helen-France to work with her dog at Filton.” Gus is the first assistance dog to be working with an employee at Airbus.
Airbus launches community awards Airbus has teamed up with the Bristol Post to launch the Airbus Community Awards – a chance for local community groups or charities to win a share of £10,000. The awards are designed to celebrate the invaluable contributions made by volunteers to their communities. It’s Airbus’ way of acknowledging the good work that goes on in the West and to establish Airbus’ commitment to its role in supporting that work. Airbus Head of Corporate Responsibility in the UK Catherine Rushforth said: “There has been a rich aviation heritage at Filton for more than 100 years and in all that time the business has been an integral part of the community. As well as Airbus providing support and financial assistance to many local projects, Airbus employees fundraise for a huge number of charities and good causes, while the Airbus Foundation supports humanitarian projects further afield.
The initiatives supported by Airbus and its employees are wide ranging and diverse and we decided to work with Bristol’s most established newspaper to launch a new scheme to celebrate and support some of these activities.” You don’t have to work at Airbus or have any connection with the company to be involved. Launched in January, Bristol Post readers will be asked to nominate worthy charities and community groups who deserve a share of the £10,000 that Airbus is putting forward. So put your thinking caps on and get ready to nominate your favourite good cause. Look out for more information coming soon in the Bristol Post. This is a great opportunity to really make a difference, and we can’t wait to be there with you!
To find out how you could win a share of the £10,000 visit: www.bristolpost.co.uk/Airbus
Gosha wins apprentice award Airbus undergraduate apprentice Gosha (Malgorzata) Barzowska has won the South West regional final of the National Apprenticeship Awards. This is a further accolade for Gosha who was runner up in the EEF (Engineering Employers Federation) South West awards last year.
Lord Heseltine drops in One of the most important political figures in recent history, Lord Heseltine, paid a visit to Airbus to find out about some of the innovative development work taking place at its Filton site. The former Deputy Prime Minister was accompanied by Mayor of Bristol George Ferguson.
Employees help children learn Volunteers from Airbus have been giving up their free time to help children with their literacy and numeracy skills. The employees are part of the Reading Buddies and Number Partner schemes and dedicate at least an hour a week to either listen to children reading or help with maths.
Eco-commuters save money and environment! Filton employees burnt 1.3 million calories – the equivalent of 5,227 doughnuts and saved the equivalent of £13,500 by using sustainable methods of commuting over the summer. They were taking part in the Big Commuting Challenge, an event supported by North Bristol SUSCOM, a group of major employers, promoting sustainable commuting
Filton employee’s brilliant invention Airbus engineer Richard Dobbin has come up with a simple way to protect aircraft wings from lightning strikes. He worked closely with colleagues and suppliers to invent new ‘nut caps’ which protect wings made of the new carbon fibre ‘composite’ materials during stormy weather.
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FREE PRIZE DRAW!
Helping the
We have four annual passes for Bristol Zoo including lunch and a ‘Meet the Keeper’ experience up for grabs in our free draw!
hospices…
It’s been an action-packed twelve months of fund-raising at Airbus.
A host of different charities are helped every year by employees, but every two years Airbus in the UK teams up with a specific Charity Challenge partner charity. Since January 2014, employees have been pulling out all the stops to support partner charity Hospice UK. People have been coming up with some fantastic ways of raising money for the charity. Filton’s Charity Challenge coordinators Jan Lane and Hayley Christopher-Lee said: “Our colleagues have done an incredible job this year! They’ve run marathons, climbed mountains, cycled thousands of miles, grown moustaches, shaved their heads, dived out of aeroplanes, come to work in their pyjamas and raised more than £15,000 at a golf day! And as well as all that, volunteers have been giving up hundreds of hours of their free time to help local people in need.” At the time of writing, the total raised for charities so far this year across both Airbus sites in the UK is more than £150,000, with around half of this being raised in Filton. And there are still a couple of high profile events in the pipeline.
The partnership will help Hospice UK to continue their vital work as well as directly benefiting four hospices in Bristol and the South West. Jan said: “This is a wonderful charity. So many of us know people who have been helped by a hospice and the work they do is invaluable.”
Every year more than 120,000 adults, children, babies and their families are cared for by their local hospice. Care is provided free to patients either at home, in the hospice or in the local community for as long as it is needed.
The Airbus Foundation was founded in 2008 and since that time has carried out more than 46 humanitarian flights and delivered more than 630 tonnes of essential aid. As well as its humanitarian programme, more than 1,000 13-17 year olds have participated in its Flying Challenge programme which, run in partnership with the charity United Way, seeks to inspire young people to continue towards higher education through a weekly mentoring programme including University students and Airbus employees. The Foundation was expanded 1 year ago and now includes all divisions of the Airbus Group, meaning that in addition to providing Airbus aircraft to assist in humanitarian emergencies, the Foundation has access to helicopters (through the Airbus Helicopters Foundation), shelters and advanced communication services as well as the combined expertise of many more employees.
Please recycle again when you’ve finished reading your copy!
Please send us your comments on what you think about Airbus, its products or its Filton operations, in 50 words or less, along with your contact details. We’ll then enter you into a free draw to win two of four annual passes to Bristol Zoo including lunch and a ‘meet the keeper’ experience for the two winners and up to two additional family members. Two winners will be chosen at random and notified by Monday 4 April. Send your feedback to us, one entry per household, by Friday 25 March via email to: feedbackuk@airbus.com or by post to FREEPOST AIRBUS UK. If you’d like to be entered into our competition, don’t forget to include your full name, date of birth, address, contact telephone number and an email address if you have one. Please also let us know how you would prefer to be contacted if you win.
We look forward to hearing from you!
Flying in to help…
Did you know, Horizons 2016 is printed on 100% recycled paper?
We are proud of our heritage and we’re committed to being a responsible and active part of the community, forging strong links with our neighbours and with local schools, colleges and charities. We want to do the best we can and that’s why we need you to tell us what you think of us.
We appreciate all your comments because they help us understand how we are perceived in the community. Unfortunately it won’t be possible for us to respond individually to every comment we receive.
Hospice UK is the national charity for hospice care, championing and supporting the work of more than 200 hospices across the country through campaign and policy work, grants programmes and fundraising.
Did you know that not only does Airbus do a great deal in its local communities, supporting various projects, schools and charities, but it also has a Foundation which supports the work of humanitarian groups further afield and aims to inspire the next generation as they prepare to embrace their future.
We’d love to know what you think of us. Horizons is our way of letting you know what we’re doing, but communication is a two-way process and we want to hear from you too…
For example, after the huge earthquake in Nepal in April 2015, the Foundation coordinated resources to organise relief flights using delivery aircraft and helicopters and used satellite imagery to assess the extent of the damage. During the same month, a helicopter transported search and rescue personnel to Chile’s
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Atacama Desert after flooding and landslides. Relief flights also brought aid to Manila in the Philippines in March, in the wake of Typhoon Haiyan and to Malawi, one month earlier, after Cyclone Bansi. In November, a mobile rescue station was donated to the German Red Cross in Feldkirchen, Bavaria, to provide medical treatment for a community of 5,000 refugees. In a bid to progress its aim of having a positive global impact, much of the Foundation’s work is carried out in partnership with the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC). This partnership was recently strengthened through a memorandum of understanding signed between Airbus and the IFRC on 17 November 2015. Covering all divisions of Airbus Group, this means that Airbus will provide product and service support to the IFRC and its national societies in times of natural disasters and crises, brokering services with customers and operators, staff exchange and training and support for innovative solutions.
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