Mr Chiswell was a local pilot with a passion for general aviation. Following his death last year, his wife, Linda, offered some of her husband’s aircraft parts to the club to sell, with the proceeds serving as a donation in her husband’s memory.
The club committee, led by current chairman David Earl, decided to use the funds to provide free trial lessons for local children to ‘encourage a new generation of young aviators’.
The club’s plan to use the donation for funding trial lessons was ‘the sort of thing Dave would definitely have approved of’, said Mrs Chiswell.
The funds generated from the sale covered the cost of four flights, but given significant interest from local youngsters, another club member stepped in to fund four more and the club paid for another.
As a result nine 10-18-year-olds will join a qualified flying instructor for a two-hour flight around Alderney. The lesson will also involve a safety briefing, an aircraft inspection, an explanation of the cockpit, a photo opportunity, and a debrief with the instructor.
Many of the children have a budding interest in aviation and are keen to learn more about aeroplane mechanics and what a career as a pilot might look like. A parent of a 16-year-old set to fly this month said that the trial lesson would allow his son to ‘develop his passion, gain valuable insight into aviation, and inspire future career aspirations within the industry’. One of the young fliers will be taking to the skies on her 13th birthday.
The flights are set to take place on Saturdays 18 and 25 July.
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