AND THE WINNERS ARE

LAA proudly introduces the winners of the 2020 Armstrong Isaacs Bursary awards

The Association’s Armstrong Isaacs Bursary scheme awards up to £1,500 to five lucky recipients to assist them in completing their PPL or NPPL. Applicants must be 30 years or under at the closing date for applications and have five hours solo, although we do allow some flexibility on the latter requirement. The 2020 crop of applicants exceeded 60 young hopefuls, many looking towards a future RAF or commercial aviation career, but with a healthy number simply wanting to fly for fun or become a flying school instructor. Each applicant completed a questionnaire explaining why they were so keen to fly, how they had funded their course thus far, and previous involvement in aviation related groups etc. The four-person judging team independently marked each applicant to a total possible 20 points and then came together to compare scores and finalise the list of winners. In light of the high number of very worthy applications and the difficulty of paring the list to just five winners, an additional bursary was added, resulting in a total of six lucky recipients in all. Above Ashleigh Duggan

Right top Joshua Creese

Right middle Ryan Millen

Right bottom Rebecca Norman The panel also elected to make a special £500 award to a 15-year-old disadvantaged young man, who despite disabilities, is clearly keen to progress his ambition to learn to fly. So, in no particular order, as those rather tiresome Saturday night talent shows are wont to say, we are delighted to present the winners of the 2020 LAA Armstrong Isaacs Bursaries.

Ashleigh Duggan. Oxfordshire, aged 23. I first began my flying journey at the age of 16 when I started to learn to glide. Having grown up in an aviation background, with my father working for the Red Arrows, I had caught the flying bug very early in life and now have the ambition to become a flight instructor as well as to fly commercially. I am currently working towards my PPL(A) SEP/TMG with MotorGlide, having achieved 40hrs of flying and completed my ground exams. I now need to do my solo navigation and work up for the flying test. Once I have the PPL under my belt, my next task is to build up hours and do my night and instructor ratings.

Joshua Creese. Essex, aged 19. I’m a medical and PPL student, Senior Air Cadet and all-round aviation enthusiast. My journey into aviation started when I was lucky enough to experience light aircraft flying with a family member. From that moment on I knew I wanted to be in that left-hand seat. I joined the Air Cadets in 2014 and never looked back. I’ve had the privilege to undertake Air Experience flying in the RAF’s Grob Tutor (including aerobatics), take a flight in a Viking Glider and ride in the back of an open door Griffin Helicopter during a tactical flight with the Canadian Air Force during my time on a International Air Cadet Exchange in Canada. These experiences are just a snapshot of the hundreds of activities the Air Cadet Organisation has provided me with. I decided to begin my PPL training as soon as I could log hours and first went solo two months after my 16th birthday. After a break, I am now in the last stage of my training, waiting for better weather – as I imagine most of us are. With my PPL I want to give others the same thrill that I experienced during my first flight, as well as undertaking flying across the continent and developing my training with further ratings. I am very grateful that the LAA has given me the opportunity to do this.

Ryan Millen. Cambridgeshire, aged 22. I have always had an interest in aviation as a whole. I was in the Air Cadets at the age of 13 and was lucky enough to fly several times on air experience flights. This showed me the amazing sense of freedom that can be experienced from flying in light aircraft. After this, it was clear my goal was to obtain my pilot’s licence. When I turned 17, I started working part-time while studying for my A-levels. The additional income allowed me to take up gliding. I shortly obtained my solo badge and then my Silver-C badge. I also take part in gliding competitions where time and money allow. I am keen to continue my gliding career alongside powered flying. When I started my full-time career in IT, I found I had an increase in disposable income, this allowed me to pursue my dream of, one day, obtaining my pilot’s licence. I started with the training at a great rate and very soon, soloed on the Super Cub. I continued with my training to complete my qualifying cross-country. Unfortunately, almost immediately after this, my financial situation changed, and I was unable to complete the rest of my training. Thanks to the bursary I hope to complete my LAPL and continue flying.

Rebecca Norman. Surrey, aged 19. I am a student pilot from Surrey. I was delighted to receive the Armstrong Isaacs Bursary which means I can progress with my PPL. After going solo last year, I am determined to finish off my PPL and gain my licence, which the LAA will allow me to do. I am so passionate about flying and love every minute of being up in the sky. In the future I want to become a commercial pilot or a flying instructor to pass on my love for flying and to teach others. I am so lucky to have such an amazing instructor where I train at Fairoaks and cannot wait to update LAA members of my future progress.

James Bowkett Cheshire, aged 17. For as long as I can remember I have been fascinated with aviation. It all started when my dad took me for a flight in a Rans S-6 when I was just four years old. From then on, I was hooked and decided that I wanted to be a pilot. I started to fly remote control aircraft and later progressed to building flight simulators, which further inspired me to want to be a pilot. As I became more fascinated with aviation I started to take the controls when I went flying with my dad. This led to me starting my flying training at the age of 15. It was difficult trying to combine studying for all the aviation exams as well as GCSEs at the same time, but I got there in the end. I was very fortunate to fly solo on my 16th birthday. My mum was worried about my flying solo at first, but she can see how seriously I take my responsibility as a pilot, and is fully behind me. The costs of flying can soon mount up. I’m really proud that I won the bursary, because otherwise the cost would have slowed my progress, but it wouldn’t have stopped me. Flying is in my blood. My goal is to one day fly for the airlines as I think it would be awesome to be able to have a seat in one of the best offices above the world!

James Gunn. Gloucestershire, aged 17. I have always had a passion for aviation, with an aspiration of becoming a commercial pilot. I have been surrounded by aviation from a young age, as my father is a pilot. I was lucky enough to be taken up in a PA-28 at the age of seven, which sparked my aviation dream. Since then it has been the only hobby and career choice in mind. Over the last year I have started working towards my PPL, completing my first solo flight last summer, aged 16, and just preparing to move onto the navigation phase. I am currently in my first year of A-Levels, in which I am studying physics, geography, economics and business. I have been a member of the Air Training Corps (Air Cadets) since the age of 13, this has given me an overwhelming list of achievements, many of which have been the development of personal characteristics including leadership, teamwork, and confidence. In the aviation field I currently work in Operations, on Saturdays at a local flying school. This has been a great opportunity at my age, it has allowed me to gain knowledge and opinions from a diverse range of people, along with developing my personal skills even further, and it certainly beats washing up in a local tearoom! This bursary will allow me to complete my PPL within a reasonable time frame, which without would have not been possible. My aim is to have completed my PPL by mid- to end of this summer. I have some further motivation to complete this due to the LAA Rally in September, I hope to fly there myself! That would be an amazing achievement, and a milestone in an early stage of my aviation career.

n Congratulations to Ashleigh, Josh, Ryan, Rebecca, and the two James’ who will keep us up to date on their progress in the coming months. We wish them and all the applicants the very best for their future in aviation, whether as a career or a recreational pilot. n

Above James Bowkett, right, receives his ‘First Solo’ certificate

Below James Gunn