Inspire - ENABLE - SUPPORT
The Royal Foundation of The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and Prince Harry
Our MISSION Our mission is to create a virtual flying school / club staffed and run by our wounded, injured and sick. Providing adapted aircraft, suitable training locations and qualified flying instructors from the pool of people we support; we aim to establish a permanent legacy of affordable flight training.
ROYAL SUPPORT FOR OUR ENDEAVOUR Our project is supported by the Royal Foundation of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and Prince Harry via their Endeavour Fund.
Contents Introduction 6 Our History 9 Sponsorship & Support 10 Annual Events 13 Flying Events 14 How much does it cost? 17 It is not just about money 18 How you can get involved 21
Our PulsR Microlights Flying in Formation
INTRODUCTION - Flying for freedom Post-recovery flying activities demonstrate what is possible for often severely disabled people to achieve. This can inspire those still in rehabilitation and enable recovery for our wounded, injured and sick. It is in our power to train pilots, so that they can go on to support others in need.
Flying training provides a new focus, vital in combating post-injury depression. It also develops new skills and fosters work opportunities. However, flying is unique in that it delivers equality to the disabled. When you qualify as a pilot, you are on equal terms with all those who can fly. In the air you can be free of disability. You can soar above the clouds, “free as a bird�.
P&M Aviation GTR Donated by Lord & Lady Digby Jones of Birmingham
Pte Nathan Forster, qualified with us as a pilot in 2013.
www.flyingforfreedom.org
OUR History Flying for Freedom (FFF) was formed in 2011 following a trial at Kemble Airfield in the heart of the Cotswolds. The trial established that flex-wing microlight flying was a safe and beneficial post-injury activity. However, it also demonstrated a real need for affordable flying opportunities…the trial had 45 applicants for only 5 scholarship places.
(Lord Digby Jones and David Young CFI Kemble Flying Club)
Microlights are open cockpit “weight shift” aircraft and are one of the easiest and cheapest ways to fly. Training provides air experience at its most basic; Pilots are close to nature and exposed to the elements, making for an exhilarating and adrenaline filled adventure, something most often missed when personnel are forced to end their service careers.
With support from Lord Digby Jones and Jim French CBE, Flying for Freedom formed as a non-profit organisation and flying school. By being a non-profit organization, not a Charity, FFF is able to support a wide range of charities. As a flying school, FFF can deliver flight training for a fraction of the cost of a normal flying school. To allow individuals to make charitable donations to support flight training, FFF has partnered with Help for Heroes.
In early 2012, the high standard of pilots we trained quickly highlighted that we could do more than simply deliver a flight experience. Our pilots can now study towards Assistant Flying Instructor (AFI) and/or Display Pilot ratings. This allows them to train future pilots in our adapted aircraft, establishing a flying legacy. Our Pilots can also give back to charities and organisations that have helped them, by giving flying displays and flight experiences in support of fund raising.
In 2013, our focus on a sustainable outcome with career pathways led to Flying for Freedom gaining support from the Royal Foundation of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and Prince Harry, via the Endeavour Fund. 2013 also saw our first trainees qualify as pilots.
Inspire - ENABLE - SUPPORT
Airbus & Airbus Military helped us fund training across 2013.
Sponsorship & SUPPORTERS Flying for Freedom looks to directly fund flight training for 10 - 15 individuals per year. So sponsorship can cover a single trainee, be linked to one of our events or fund one of our aircraft.
FLex-Wing MICROLIGHT Flex-wing microlight training is the cheapest platform to deliver powered flight training from.
Sponsors are recognised within our training programs and media collateral associated with events and expeditions, including:
We run events throughout the year, which provide outstanding, high-visibility opportunities for sponsors to participate in our mission of advocacy for disabled flying. Our programs include annual sponsorships as well as sponsorships specific to some of our signature expeditions and events.
> The Flying for Freedom Annual Fundraising Dinner Dance > Our website and social media platforms > Our Air Display Team > The Lord Digby Jones Air Experience Day > Annual Flying for Freedom Trophy Polo Match > Our Quarterly Newsletter > Annual Expedition
As a sponsor, your company will receive special recognition that provides exposure to top executives, operators, entrepreneurs and innovators. Sponsorship sends a message that your brand is strongly aligned with our mission to create and sustain a equality in flying.
It isn’t just about big business though. The bulk of our support comes from individuals and small familly run companies across the UK. It costs less than a dinner out to provide an air experience flight in one of our adapted aircraft.
Luke Sinnott and Alan Robinson qualified with us as a pilots in 2013.
Martin Hewitt flying in 2013
AnnuaL Fundraising Dinner / Dance
Air DISPLAY TEAM
Website and Social Media
Our annual dinner is an exclusive gathering, where we aim to provide a unique location and experience. FFF Patrons ensure access to some exclusive and unique locations (We have previously utilised the Tower of London). Monies collected from ticket and table sales, advertising and sponsorships help to support our mission as well as activities for:
Unlike most display teams, our pilots can trailer their aircraft and rig them almost anywhere. It means that even if we do not have the space to fly, we can attend events and make a huge impact.
Donated and maintained by Souk Response and Souk Advertising our website is linked to several exclusive portals.
> Help for Heroes > The Royal Foundation of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and Prince Harry > Flying Scholarships for Disabled People > Forces in Mind Trust
Display flying takes great skill and training, so we encourage our pilots to fly at some of the world biggest air shows, including The Royal International Air Tattoo and Farnborough, where get support from our sponsors Airbus and the Royal Air Force. As a charity driven project we enjoy the support of full time display teams and pilots, such as Richard Grace and Dave Puleston from the Trig Pitts Special Air display team. We also enjoy support from No. 99 Squadron (C17 at RAF Brize Norton), XXIV Squadron (A400M at RAF Brize Norton) and No 28 Sqn (Merlin Helicopters at RAF Benson) who sometimes support us at events.
We receive click through traffic from www. royalfoundation.com and from Help for Heroes. Our social media presence, partnered with Help for Heroes, has grown virally and has delivered us positive support for our mission from around the world. > www.helpforheroes.co.uk > www.royalfoundation.com > www.endeavourfund.co.uk
Lord Digby Jones Air Experience Day
Flying for Freedom Trophy Polo Match
Annual Expedition
Lord Jones donated our aircraft first training aircraft, aka “The Flying Dig”. It is fitted with adapted flight controls and has been pivotal in extending flight training opportunities. Some of our most disabled pilots were only able to qualify because of ‘The Flying Dig’. Every year Lord Jones runs an exclusive ticket only event, where pilots qualified in ‘The Flying Dig’ fly our sponsors.
Held at Vaux Park Polo Club in Somerset, we hold an annual Flying for Freedom Trophy Polo event. The event is open to any Polo team to compete. Polo is popular with some of our higher profile supporters, who also play, so you never know who you might be playing. Our trophy is made from the elevator trim of a Gloucester Meteor Jet and is currently retained by the 2013 winners - the Home Team at Vaux Park. The match is preceded by a Flying for Freedom Fly-in and Fly Past
Every year we undertake an annual expedition. For 2015 this was a trip to Arvisdaur, Sweden. For 2016 it is a world record breaking first flight, from the coast of Antarctica to the South Pole. The expedition is as much about the planning and preparation as it is the actual attempt. Antarctica will establish us five new aircraft that we plan to distribute around the UK following the attempt. It may also result in us extending what we do to wounded and injured servicemen and women in Australia and New Zealand, from where we plan to deploy.
Quarterly Newsletter Our quarterly Newsletter is circulated to our sponsors and supporters. It follows the personal journeys of our trainees to Pilot standard and beyond. It also documents the missions and expeditions we undertake, including our entries into the British Microlight Nationals.
Jamie Hull at our Tower of London Press Launch 2013
How much d oes it cost? Flying for Freedom is a non-profit organisation and so we have a very pragmatic in our approach to sponsorships, donations and support: Our partnership with Help for Heroes means you can benefit from tax relief for making a charitable donation. Your company can deduct the amount of the donation from your profits for Corporation Tax. (Individuals can also benefit from tax relief in making a donation). Donated money is accounted for by Help for Heroes in the “Flying for Freedom Restricted Fund” set aside to fund our activities. Being a non-profit organisation, our interest is in meeting our annual operating costs and commitment to provide flight training. Your help also helps us drive down the overall cost of what we do.
Provide an air experience flight
£200
The most important step in what we do is to give people the opportunity to try flying out. Holding a recruitment day costs us about £200 as an air experience flight is actually credited towards flight training. Taking an advertisement in our quarterly Newsletter would help provide someone with their first taste of flying.
Sponsor a Wounded Pilot
£1500
We train 10 - 15 pilots a year. Sponsoring an individual allows you to engage with the process and delivers a great engagement for your company and employees. £1500 provides about 25 hours training. Purchasing tickets to attend The Lord Digby Jones Air Experience Day would help deliver this outcome.
Typically an individual will pay £3000 to learn to fly. Flying for Freedom can provide the same training for half that cost at £1500 per person. Our ability to do this is down to the donation of aircraft, free hangarage and landing fees by sponsors. Our target is to reach an almost zero running cost, making flying more accessible. With your help here is how we do it:
Cover A YEARS OPERATIONS
£30,000
The annual operating costs of Flying for Freedom are about £30,000. Sponsorship of our Air Display team would help cover these.
Service our Aircraft
£600
Our microlights operate on an annual permit to fly. We pay less than the going rate for an inspection and permit due to support from the British Microlight Aircraft Association. However, oil, spare parts and maintenance inspections all add up. Buying a ticket for you and a guest to one of our events would help cover an annual service of one of our 5 aircraft.
Sponsor a Wounded Instructor
£5000
Getting an individual through an instructor course not only provides them an aviation career, it drives down future costs. Wounded and inured Flying Instructors drive our costs down and make adapted flying training truly self-sustaining.
It is not just about money. Our microlights fly on standard unleaded petrol and fly at about 12 litres an hour. (Per trainee that is 300 litres to reach the minimum standard required for a licence). In other words, about 1/3 of our training costs are in fuel. This means your company could reduce our costs by 1/3 by providing us with a fuel card in exchange for a sponsorship. Some great examples of how we are supported are as follows: ASF-Signs, Wootton Bassett, provide all our vehicle and aircraft graphics for free. Their staff create, cut and apply vinyls in there own time to support us. This saves us and our sponsors money in not having to sort them, so actually helps us secure funds. Airbus Innovation Works, Filton, help us with our aircraft and pilot’s prosthetic limbs. Engineers design and manufacture components in their own time. In turn this drastically reduces our costs in modifying our aircraft to adapt to each individual we support. Ozee, Benfleet, have donated us flying suits, but also make up fleece jackets that we can sell to raise money. The arrangement is great as we don’t have to risk investing in stock to sell and can focus on flying training. Trig Avionics, Scotland, provide us with Radio and Transponder units for our Aircraft. They also support the renowned Pitts Pair Aerobatic Display Team, who now carry the Flying for Freedom logo. RAF Brize Norton, JADTAEU, have load tested our Aircraft into an A400M mock-up. In certifying the loading configuration we are able to load our aircraft as air freight for long range deployment.
(Above left) Logos provided to us by ASFSigns,Wootton Bassett. (Above Right) Our Radios and Transponders are provided by Trig Avionics, Edinburgh. (Center Left) Airbus Innovation Works, Filton have provided us with aircraft adaption. (Center Right) RAF Brize Norton and JADTEU support us with logisitcs and flights (Left) Ozee make and provide all our pilots with flying Suits.They also made us a custom suit as a Flying for Freedom gift for HRH Prince George, it was passed to the Duchess of Cambridge by HRH Prince Harry this year.
Kat Janes ready for first Solo - 2015
How can you get involved
OUR DETAILS
We need help and support from individuals and organisations to keep running. This can be the gift of time, expertise or money. We welcome any halp and are in constant need of fundraisers to help us raise funds and keep our aircratt in the air.
Make a small donation at: www.bmycharity.com/flyingforfreedom/
Flying for Freedom is a flying club, run by our wounded, injurred and sick. Join the club to make a differnece, the joining fee is your help and support.
Donations can bemade direct to our project office: Flying for Freedom Lane End Farm, Wembworthy, Chulmleigh, Devon, EX18 7QA Or direct to our bank account: ‘Flying for Freedom’ | The co-operative bank | Sort Code: 08-92-99 | Account Number: 65640900
Flying for Freedom Lane End Farm, Wembworthy, Chulmleigh, Devon, EX18 7QA