Events and Air Smiles Days
Amberley Ridge School - Air Smiles Day 13th July 2011
Five very excited boys and their three teachers arrived at Cotswold Airport for a special day out with fly2help. All of the boys suffer from severe emotional and behavioural difficulties due to a variety of reasons.
This day out was a reward for their hard work over the last school year. After a welcome drink and safety brief the boys were itching to take to the skies! Tim, the pilot of the Cotswold Helicopters' Jet Ranger, escorted the first group out to the aircraft apron. The rest remained behind the barrier taking photos and waving to their friends. This was the first time that any of them had flown and the mounting excitement was palpable. After a brief photo call the grinning occupants lifted off in to the air whilst those who were left on the ground cheered and jumped up and down.
All the boys were amazed by how different things look from the air. One said that he felt he could "pick up the houses and cars" as they looked so small. As the helicopter settled back down on the ground after the first flight the pilot gave the thumbs up signal which cleared the volunteers to unload the group and get the next lot of boys and a teacher on board. Yet again another set of beaming faces was whisked away by the helicopter as they experienced the thrill of a lifetime. As one boy got out afterwards he declared loudly "that was the best ten minutes of my life!"
Now it was time for a well earned lunch and a game or two of pool in the AV8 restaurant, where a window side table had been reserved so that the boys could watch other aircraft flying whilst they ate their food. After lunch it was off to visit the Control Tower and Fire Section where the boys were allowed to operate various alarm noises and wear the fire crew helmets much to their delight. To top off their day each of the boys was presented with a flight certificate and a fly2help goody bag. One young lad, who had been a bit nervous about flying, made a point of shaking each of the volunteers hands to say thank you with a huge grin on his face. Another great Air Smiles Day had been achieved much to the pleasure of all concerned!
Feedback quote from a teacher:
"Thank you for giving us such a fantastic day and experience. We felt we were treated like royalty!"