“An Exciting new chapter” by Mark Radcliffe

I can’t try and bluff my way out of it, we’ve fallen well and truly behind with the newsletter over past months as

our small band of volunteers has been exceptionally busy doing some truly great things.

As we’re starting to see some light at the end of the tunnel however, I thought I’d wrap up both June and July

into one ‘super update’ so that we can get back on track with our monthly broadcast to our valued supporters.

The hard part is just going to be figuring out where to start?!

With global aviation giant ‘CHC Helicopters’ as our newly established ‘Principle Sponsors’, the charity has

begun a process of adapting and changing shape into order to further enhance our ability to affect the lives of

more wounded veterans.

With CHC’s support we will soon be taking on new teaching facilities, a new aircraft, and new volunteers and of

course new ‘warriors’ to get to know.

Don’t think that whilst this has been going on our existing ‘warriors’ have been slacking however as there have

been some major leaps forward for almost everybody in the team. Both Ben and Matt have now begun their

new jobs and despite being very different in nature and location, both men have been tackling the challenges

associated with ‘line training’, having been released from the relative comfort of the training environment.

Hot on their heels however, Monty has also been taking care of business, finally completing his commercial

pilot training with a very strong final performance. It seems like only yesterday we had our first meeting over a

cup of coffee, after which as Monty recently reminded me I sent him home with a “we’ll see what we can do”

and a WFW polo shirt two sizes too big for him. At risk of sounding too much like a ‘civilian’ then, it was a really

proud moment for me to see him succeed and I’m looking forward to celebrating his first civilian job since being

blown up by an IED in Iraq.

Fundraising has also been continuing steadily and we continue to be blessed with some amazing people

lending their time, blood, sweat and tears to ensuring WFW is able to continue building real, sustainable

futures for those who are injured or become ill defending us.

So, without further delay, here’s more….

THE FUTURE FLYER

Left: Monty poses proudly next to his helicopter after

successfully passing his commercial pilot’s license.

It was a long time coming and took much hard work

and dedication, however we always knew he was the

right man for the job.

Well done Monty and thank you to The Poppy Factory,

Sammermar Trust and the Army Benevolent Fund for

helping to fund his new future.

“Matt soars as Victoria Falls” by Captain Matthew Bryant

I'll take a step back and rewind a few years. I was wounded in combat back in 2009 after being shot multiple times.

My injuries led me to being medically discharged from service and at just 21 years old I was faced with the daunting

prospect of never being physically able to do the job I'd always wanted. I felt like I had lost my identity and had few

prospects or ambitions.

Then, after what seemed like an endless period of feeling lost and down the stars just seemed to align and I was

lucky enough to be selected by a fledgling new charity, which would offer me the chance at a new dream career.

Since then I have not looked back, after 2 and a half years of intensive training I am now working in my first paid

flying role!

That’s not to say that I wasn’t nervous however as I boarded the flight that

would take me from the comfort of home to be unknown of Africa. Do other

people always find themselves worrying about what they're leaving behind?

Am I going to miss anything? Can I be there if I'm needed? When will I come

back? – Just some of the questions I was trying to answer in my head. This is

a big opportunity for me though and I can only be thankful for the people

around me who sacrificed so much to enable me to do this. I could not have

achieved this dream without the stoicism shown by my family, the generosity

and belief pledged by The C-Group, Help For Heroes and The Poppy Factory,

and of course everybody who has supported Wings for Warriors.

It was Wednesday by the time I finally arrived at my new home in

Livingstone, Zambia. As the plane commenced its final descent it

was easily identifiable by the huge ‘smoke that thunders’ sticking

out like a sore thumb in the cloudless sky and featureless

landscape. Victoria Falls is one of the seven natural wonders of the

world and is over twice as big as Niagara’s ‘horseshoe’. The spray or

‘smoke’ can reach as high as 1,300ft, which was not much lower

than we are flying!

After just a day of recovery it was pretty much straight into a helicopter so that my new employers could give my

skills the once over, which would be pretty rusty after a few months away from training. Being a helicopter pilot is a

little bit like being a child at school again in that you’re always expected to be learning, developing and of course you

even have to wear a uniform.

The job is a two year contract flying tours of the falls in a wide range of machines. We have a Robinson, a Bell 206

and an AS350 helicopter as well as four micro-lights and an ultralight. On some days I will fly all of these aircraft (not

at the same time!) which makes for varied and challenging work as no two aircraft here fly alike. Tough job but

someone has to do it!

Someone told me once that the day you think you are a good enough pilot is the day you should stop flying.

Nonetheless, it was a bit of a shock to the system when I started my line training and realised just how much I have

to learn, even after finishing my commercial pilot training. The two years I’ve done with W4W was just the tip of the

iceberg and now I would be flying hot, high and heavy every single day (all of these reduce the aircraft’s

performance). So, it’s a very challenging environment for an experienced pilot let alone a sprog like me. This will be

my apprenticeship as a pilot and the things I learn here I will take with me for the rest of my career.

Initially joining the workplace was tough and felt alien as I hadn’t had a proper job for two years. Additionally, I am

5,000 miles away from home, in an isolated and very basic town and I leave behind my partner and family. That said,

just a few weeks in and I’m already settled in nicely though and I wake up every morning looking forward to work

and feeling good about life!

Looking back to when I started Wings for Warriors it’s incredible just how much my life has changed as a result. The

future is bright and I now look to the sky instead of the ground. I have skills I can develop and use for the rest of my

life and I cannot say a big enough thank you to everyone who helped me to get here.

I’m writing a blog which you can check for weekly updates and insights in to my new life and of course I will continue

to write for the newsletter too.

https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=1375942119585074473#overview/src=dashboard

Loving life

Matt

In the spotlight – Sonni Green

This month we’ve another new ‘warrior’ for you to feast your eyes

upon, who’ll also be joining our class of 2014/15 scheduled to

commence training in September.

Twenty eight year old Sonni Green is from Wolverhampton, however

has been most recently residing in Plymouth where he served with 29

Commando Royal Artillery, completing three tours of Afghanistan.

From the outset it was clear that Sonni was an aviation enthusiast and

was serious about a career as a professional pilot. He had already

worked his way towards funding his own trial lesson, had studied

much of the theory material in his own time and made sure he

impressed us all at his interview.

This comes despite being injured in 2012 when his parachute became tangled up during a training exercise.

Suffering damage to both legs, spine, pelvis and having broken just about every bone is his body it is testament

to Sonni’s determination and strength of mind and body that he has recovered as well as he has.

We’re all very much looking forward to working with Sonni in the future, and with any luck will persuade him

that it’s much better to stay inside the aircraft.

Meanwhile, there’ll be more to come on our last recruit of 2014 next month!

“Cloud 9” – by Ben Creighton

After the elation of receiving a call from CHC and being informed

there was a position open for me, the realisation of just how much

my life would be changing still hadn’t sunk in. Almost immediately I

would be travelling to West Palm Beach, Florida where I would be

completing a four week ‘type rating’ on the Sikorsky S-92, a

helicopter far bigger and more powerful than anything I’d flown.

Even now, the thought of being given the opportunity to travel to

Florida and fly a truly huge helicopter still makes me giggle like a

school girl. My life has just changed so much.

Before I could start packing my suntan lotion however, I would need to complete a Multi-Crew Certification course.

This would teach me how to work as part of a team in the cockpit, instead of making all the decisions on my own as I

had become accustomed to during training. This was done in a week at Stapleford and included 20 hours in a Citation

jet simulator, which was all good fun until one of the engines decided to quit just after take-off. In fact, I think I

crashed landed half a dozen times, which didn’t exactly fill my fixed-wing colleagues with confidence in my flying

abilities.

Finally though, with certificate in hand I bounced onto a US Airways flight to Florida via Philadelphia.

Florida in June was very hot, humid and with plenty of thunderstorms – and I mean proper thunderstorms, not the

things we get in England. Not that it mattered to us of course as our entire four weeks would be spent sitting inside a

fibre glass box flying a hi-tech simulator.

Once I arrived I met my training partner and then with barely enough for small talk we began the course.

The first two weeks were spent in the classroom with ten tons of theory books to learn and digest. I’ve never come

across so many facts and figures in my life, but thankfully I managed to find space in my head to squeeze it in. The

days were pretty full on, starting at 0800 and finishing at 1700 before heading back to the hotel for more studying.

After passing the written test it was on to the practical phase, which

felt very strange at first. Sitting in our ‘magic box’ in Florida we

practiced flying around Aberdeen, Luton, Cambridge and a few other

places near London. You can’t safely practice both engines failing in

the real aircraft, so of course we made the most of our time in the

simulator.

Making things just a little harder to concentrate on, while I was in Florida my son ‘Nathaniel Andrew Creighton’ was

born. I’m delighted to say that he was born healthy and perfect in every way and I know with my looks he’ll be

breaking hearts before long.

The day before travelling home was scheduled as test day and that meant a 0400 start before an eight hour day of

briefings, tests and de-briefs. Thankfully, ‘Flight Safety International’ had ensured we were trained well and both my

partner and I passed with just the minimum of hiccups.

I came home from the States a very happy guy and was met by my girlfriend and son at Glasgow airport. Between my

new son, my new career and my new aircraft I really can’t wait for whatever the future may bring. Thank you so

much to Help For Heroes, Wings for Warriors and everyone else who made this dream possible for me.

Healthy rivalry – at least for a bit by Mark Radcliffe

“These things travel at 200mph” began our morning’s introduction as our host passed around what felt like a ping pong ball full of paint…

Looking around I saw a lot of nervous faces as the four teams from Bond, Bristow, CHC and Survivex prepared to do battle for a good cause. At least, I that was the original plan but now it was clear that making a run for the car park was top of most people’s agenda.

A hotchpotch collection of pilots, training staff, security guards and engineers, most of us were there for a good time and to show our support for the charity and the work it does. I say ‘most of us’ however, because I’ll never forget the look on people’s faces as two separate individuals arrived with their own, turbo-charged £1,500 paintball cannons.

This was going to be a long, painful day of fundraising!

Nonetheless, Battlegrounds Paintball laid on one hell of a spread for us and I don’t think there was anyone who didn’t have a great time. We even managed to raise £340.00 for the charity in the process.

Thank you to all who took part and just incase anyone can’t remember, the final results were as follows:

1st – CHC Scotia

2nd – Survivex Ltd

3rd – Bond Offshore Helicopters

4th – Bristow Helicopters

Thank you’s

Thank you to Hannah Wallis and her team

from the Cygnet Hospital, Bierley for raising

£482.00 by organising and participating in a

sponsored walk.

Cygnet hospital specialises in providing care

for people suffering with psychological

injuries and health issues, which makes their

amazing achievement all the more special.

Thank you guys!

Thank you to Mr and Mrs Mike Cumberlidge who managed to raise

£150.00 with a collection for ‘Wings’ at their wedding reception.

Mike has been a long term supporter of the charity and we wish him

and his new wife all the best for the future.

How to get in contact?

Write:

East Whitehill

Tarland

Aberdeenshire

AB34 4YJ

Call: 07760 154074

Email: info@wings4warriors.org.uk

Find us on facebook – WINGS4WARRIORS