Struts 4U

Anne Hughes rounds up Strut news & views

January’s LAA Zoom forum for Strut leaders was both lively and informative with Strut leaders across the country sharing ideas, initiatives and good news about the regular increase of members at meetings and fly-ins throughout 2022. Hosted by David Millin and Steve Slater, the forum commenced with a summary of LAA events over the year, and Steve shared the finding that, although Strut members only made up a quarter of the LAA membership, they were involved in the organisation and support of three-quarters of LAA activities. groups

The Meet the Members days across the country were hosted by local struts, as were the various airfields on the Scottish trip, which may have been challenged with weather conditions, but was appreciated for the warmth and hospitality of Struts over the border.

The Grass Roots Fly-in at Popham was fully supported by the members of the Andover and Rally Workers’ Struts, who were thanked for the part they played in the organisation and success of the event.

The Oshkosh visit was another highlight of the year and it was noted how the Struts were playing a significant role in every area of LAA activity, being a major catalyst in maintaining membership and, in some cases, encouraging new members to join the groups for social interaction. A new Strut handout has been prepared by Steve and David for general distribution and pull-up banners will also be widely available. A challenge for each Strut member to bring a new member into the group would, of course, double group numbers!

Recognition was also made for individual initiatives, and Amy Whitewick’s ‘Queen’s Head Project’ had received national acclaim as part of the Jubilee celebrations. Plans are afoot from Amy for another similar ‘artwork in the air’ project, but this time one that will allow pilots from all over the UK to participate. Details for that challenge will be shared in a future issue of Light Aviation

As always, any initiative that encourages young people into aviation is welcomed, and

Stewart Luck from the Youth and Education Support (YES) Strut reported on the many activities which were seen to help young people develop engineering skills, as well as giving them opportunities to fly. Over the years the Build-a-Plane projects have given young people selfconfidence and even opened doors into further education as they have told their interviewers how they have built an aeroplane and flown in it! Stewart is organising the annual YES conference at Cosford in early March this year where there is a great opportunity for young people, their leaders and others involved to share ideas, as well as a ‘networking’ opportunity for all.

The Suffolk Coastal Strut is involved with the North Weald Marshallers for the Rougham Fly-In this summer, which is being extended to involve young people in aviation and STEM activities a few days before the weekend fly-in.

As always a serious amount of work goes into all these activities and workshops for young people.

Gloster Strut is already making plans for a ‘Big Kids Day’ in July for local groups of young people incorporating ideas from our Airfield Adventure Days at Turweston.

Ian Sweetland is also involved with STEM activities and explained how we should take the opportunity to talk to students in the flying clubs about Permit aircraft as a way forward for younger pilots to keep flying after they have their PPL. Recruitment packages could be put in place and Strut activities could be advertised more widely with local knowledge promoted by Strut members. Invitations to fly-ins could be a useful way of welcoming new and young pilots into the world of aviation.

The Wessex Strut’s initiative of its fortnightly Strut walks has become a popular social event, and is one of the reasons the Strut has seen strong growth in membership, doubling in size to more than 180 members. The monthly newsletters keep members in touch and are reminders of future events, and chairman, Neil Wilson, stressed how important regular communication is to keep people involved and up to date. WhatsApp is also used regularly – and non-flyers are always welcomed, often having their first experience of being on an airfield at Strut activities.

The West Midland Strut was represented by Barry Vickers who is locating a new venue for Strut meetings and asks all WMS members to get in touch to help get the Strut up and running for the new season. His contact details are in the calendar notes and we look forward to hearing positive news about re-forming the Strut over the next few months.

Insurance issues for Strut activities were discussed as Struts and Member Clubs are covered by LAA insurance and full details are available from the LAA office.

Eryl Smith concluded the meeting by thanking all participants for their enthusiasm and ideas and emphasised how important the Struts are in building the LAA community and that they are regarded by the Board and membership as having a key role in the structure of the LAA. The commitment and hard work put in by volunteers who run events and organise the day to day running of LAA Struts and member clubs is to be commended. The coming year is full of potential positive outcomes for LAA Struts with new initiatives across the country. ■