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Grant Shapps airborn today

8:37am Saturday 10th May 2008

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By Alexandra Barham »

WELWYN Hatfield MP Grant Shapps will take to the skies above Welwyn Garden City today with one of the Review reporters.

Both Mr Shapps and reporter Alexandra Barham will join scout groups from across Hertfordshire for a lesson in flying light aircraft at Panshangar airfield.

Private pilots and aircraft owners based at the aerodrome in Cole Green will be taking around 58 young people, aged eight to 17, on a 20-minute flight in a light aircraft as part of national Young Aviators Day.

Together with the short flight will be a series of other activities including map reading, an airfield tour, and an aerial treasure hunt.

Organiser Colin Hastings said: "The pilots at Panshanger love flying; it is our passion and we want to encourage future aviators by sharing our flying passion in a hope that some young people will embark either on an aviation career or just for the self-satisfaction of saying "I'm a pilot".

"We want young people to appreciate the passion of the skies."

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Bob, St Albans says...
12:32pm Sat 10 May 08

Is Ms Barham now Grant Shapps' constituency agent? What's Young Aviators' Day (ages 8-17) to do with the local MP apart from another photo opportunity and favourable publicity in his favourite newspaper?

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Ted Wilkins, WGC says...
7:02pm Sat 10 May 08

I know what you mean about politicians but on this occasion you'd be wrong to be cynical.

Grant Shapps was actually involved in the day because he was helping to fly the youngsters (all scouts) as a pilot. A point strangely missing from the story above!

Good on him I say. I assume he doesn't actually need to give up his Saturday, though I think I'm right in saying that his own family popped along to join in the fun too.

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Colin Hastings, Panshanger says...
9:34am Mon 12 May 08

In all, 11 pilots (including Grant, local Panshanger pilots and pilots / engineers from ThomsonFly at Luton) and 14 ground helpers gave up their time to fly 63 young people and give them an insight into aviation. All volunteers did so at thier own cost. Grant involved his family as did many of the other volunteers as a way of showing aviation can be for all. My wife, son and friends were all ground crew. We view the event as a community event and this is the 3rd year we have operated it. So, in 3 years, we have introduced 167 young people, their parents and group leaders to General Aviaiton. Some of those have already decided to follow a career into aviation wether as a pilot or engineer. We have worked with many other airfields around the UK and created a national event and we estimate that over the weekend, some 700 young people were given a flight in a light aircraft and introduced to aviation as a possible career.

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Paula, Hoddesdon says...
4:00pm Sat 17 May 08

I agree that the first comment was wrongly cynical. My daughter was involved as a cub on this wonderful day. She flew in Grant Shapps plane and can be seen in the film. I commend Mr Shapps for giving up his no doubt valuable time to give these children a wonderful experience. All the children involved seemed absoloutely delighted with their experience. Can I just say that this day was entirely free for the children, with the pilots footing the bill for fuel.
The pilots and ground staff all seemed to be enjoying themselves also. Some lucky children were also given the opportunity to fly in a helicopter, which must be a somewhat rare to most children.

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