This Bader Braves 2021 report by Keith Delderfield explains how Covid19 impacted on our Young Aviators Days while our new Young Mariners project was a great success.
YOUNG AVIATORS.
What a frustrating year it has been! Despite all the time and effort put in over the ‘20/21 winter period and all of the special preparations made by our friends at airfields throughout the UK, Covid19 once again rendered it useless.
What at one time offered great hope soon became despair as, understandably, a further lockdown was put in place along with more stringent social distancing rules. Sadly the confines of the cabin of a light aeroplane make social distancing an impossibility and the sanitisation requirement following each flight is impractical. On top of everything else our main concern remains that of the safety of all of our Bader Braves and their families. Sadly there was little choice other than the abandonment of our 2021 Young Aviators programme.
Who knows what 2022 has in store for us? Discussions are already taking place and provisional plans made in the hope that Young Aviators will return next year. So keep an eye open on our website in the New Year when an announcement will be made and more importantly, keep everything crossed for better luck next year!!
YOUNG MARINERS.
Despite the huge disappointment with our Young Aviators we have been more successful in forging a strong relationship with the Accessible Sailing Group based at Bisham Abbey on The River Thames. In partnership with them we have been able to offer in the latter part of the summer, an opportunity to some 150 youngsters from SEND schools throughout Berks, Bucks and South Oxfordshire to experience a half day river experience using a range of accessible boats that provide not just a “fun-time” but also, for those who choose, a chance to become more actively involved.
So successful has this project become that we are now investigating possibilities of engaging with similar organisations with a view to extending the programme to venues throughout the UK.
Clearly we are all in the lap of the Gods as far as where will be with regards to Covid19 next year. As outlined, we are making plans to return as far as possible to pre-covid normality but we all have to play our part; so you can help by obeying the rules and observing guidelines.
Most of all keep safe and well yourselves and with a bit of good fortune we will be seeing you at one of our events in 2022.
Keith Delderfield,
Bader Braves Co-ordinator.
If having read Keith’s Bader Braves 2021 Report you’d like to know more about our hugely successful Bader Braves initiative, please click on the link for more information.
clag; there was much chatter over the airwaves, even discussion of the flight diverting but suddenly the pilot reported that he had a visual and Pete quickly relayed ground conditions, wind speed etc and guided the aircraft safely down to land on runway three-one. A mightily relieved Pete returned to his now rather tepid cuppa and explained that this poor weather had been hanging around all day long, indeed one of the aircraft that had been volunteered for the Bader operation the following day was grounded at Perranporth where the cloud was “on the floor”!! Still, as Pete pointed out, tomorrow could be a whole lot better although by 8.30pm hopes were not too high as the cloud was now a real drizzle and visibility at the hotel was little more than 100mtrs!!
It was certainly a much better morning on Saturday although still cloudy and nothing like the great weather that we left at home the day before. Faces at the airfield were a bit on the long side as we arrived and as the volunteers from the Feet Off the Ground group, the charitable part of Cornwall Flying Club, were milling around waiting the 10.00 briefing but confidence about the cloud lifting to a flyable level was very split, 50/50 at best. First flights were not scheduled until 11.00 so there was plenty of time for the traditional cuppa or two before the planned start and about half an hour for the cloud to break; thankfully break it did!!
weather around the planned route for today’s operation. By the time the first wave of Braves had completed the paperwork the PA28 of weatherwatch landed safely back and the pilot was in deep conversation with his flying colleagues. Suddenly there were some broad grins as Pete announced that all was good to go and the fog was now disappearing fast. In no time at all flight number one was loaded and ready to go and flight number two was being readied.
There had been a rapid and miraculous improvement in the weather; blue sky was now very much on the ascendancy letting the sun shine through to burn off what cloud was still hanging around. The first flight was now away and a very nicely turned out Cessna 182 purred along the runway, lifting off and disappearing into the distance on a route that would take our Braves over both north and south coasts above Wadebridge and Padstow before turning towards Newquay where they turned again to overfly St Austell and The Eden Project, then one final turn to head back in over Lostwithiel and home!!
It had been yet another hugely successful Bader Braves Young Aviators Day but I would expect nothing less from the great team at Bodmin where the hours of planning had provided a great day carried out with the utmost safety, efficiency and enthusiasm.
The club had erected a marquee that was to provide welcome shelter from the sun throughout the day as well as the Bader Braves Op’s Room. Right on the scheduled arrival time excited Young Aviators began to appear and once the usual formalities had been completed it was straight into action and the first of the 37 Braves flights that would be made throughout the day taxied out to make final checks and then onto line up ready for take-off.
There was now a steady flow of Braves arriving at check in. Jess was busy welcoming everyone, making sure that all the paperwork had been properly completed and handing out the goody-bags before directing them to Tessa and Arthur who were co-ordinating flights. Aircraft were now departing and returning with amazing regularity.
was becoming slightly more difficult now to allocate people to flights as not only does the Bader Braves Squadron comprise a range of different types of aeroplanes each of which has been volunteered to Bader Braves for the day, but high temperatures such as we were now experiencing, greatly effects the performance of a light aircraft with weights and balances becoming much more 
critical. Undeterred however, the pilots continued their tasks and no sooner had our morning group been completed than the afternoon Braves started arriving. Fortunately a number of the aeroplanes were in shared ownership with each partner taking a turn at the controls which allowed operations to continue pretty much seamlessly throughout the afternoon.
As we all gathered round to mull over the day there was the usual display of camaraderie amongst the pilots, sharing of experiences and much laughter; it was quite clear that had been yet another brilliantly successful White Waltham event and, as always, we are indebted to all those who so generously gave their time, effort and aeroplanes and made sure that everyone went home with a big smile.
Club was returning to some semblance of normality following what had been a wonderfully successful Young Aviators Day. Time now for another cuppa and de-brief before we made our own final farewells but not before discussing a possible return (we’ve had more comebacks than Sinatra!!!) in 2019; thankfully Julie, Davy and team UFC have given early indications that all will be well – let’s hope so for this has been a superb day. It always seems that a “thankyou” is scant reward for so much hard work but right now there is little more that can be said so on behalf of all the Braves –
encouraging; broken cloud, good visibility, quite warm and no hint of rain. By the time we had set things up and had cuppa No 1 Chris and his colleagues had prepared their aeroplanes and were already having a briefing meeting regarding flight plans and routings. For those of you familiar with the Isle of Wight the plan was to take off in a south-westerly direction crossing the coast somewhere around Ventnor before turning right and following the cliffs along towards Blackgang Chine before making another right turn to head inland passing over Carisbrooke Castle and Newport, on towards Cowes and Osborne House before a further right passing over Ryde and Brading before landing back at the airport. This would give a flight of around 20-25 minutes for each Brave.
clear that the breeze was fairly gusty as, quite apart from being conscious of it on the ground, the outbound aircraft was visibly quite “twitchy” as it disappeared into the distance. Just a few minutes later the second aeroplane piloted by Neil, was on its way closely followed by the remaining two aircraft.
However, as you will appreciate, a hovercraft rides on a cushion of air and has no direct contact with the ground so when the wind picked up it made the hovercraft very difficult to control and so in the interest of safety Dan decided to curtail operations and his machine was stabled …. sadly (or maybe – fortunately!!) just as I had plucked up the courage to give it a go!!
Once again our Braves event was favoured by the attendance of the local branch of the Jaguar Car Owners Club and a number of super cars were lined up for the Braves to wonder at – I even saw a couple of dads drooling as they were transported back to their youth or fantasised over Morse!!
Combined Services Day in Sandown and following her official duties at the annual parade we were graced with a visit by Gioia Minghella-Giddens, High Sherriff of The Isle of Wight who spent time talking to the Braves and their parents as well as the pilots and many volunteers before taking her leave.
Not all was lost though for the pilots of our Sandown Super Squadron were huddled together over cups of tea and steaming tablets as they examined the local met forecast. It wasn’t long before Chris approached me with the offer of reconvening the following day. The pilots had very generously volunteered to give up their Sunday from 10.00am and return to the airfield to complete the job if the remaining Braves could get back. Needless to say that there was a resounding OK and so everything was packed away or hung up to dry and we all left the airport with it looking very grey, sad and in soggy isolation, far from the happy atmosphere of earlier in the day.
and looking a little crestfallen by late afternoon. What was surprising however, was the telephone call first thing the next morning. A much more upbeat Peter from the club called to say that weather was good at the airfield and we had a “go” situation! What a relief to in a position to inform everyone that the event was going ahead and on schedule. It took about an hour to let everyone know and then get to the airfield in time to lay stuff out and put up banners and, of course, to have a couple of mugs of airfield tea …. a great way to start the day.
The two aircraft that had been made available to us for the day, a Cessna C172 and a Piper PA28 Arrow, were all ready and right on time at 09.45 the first of our Braves started arriving. Just time for introductions, completion of formalities and then straight into the flying. In the excitement of getting things going we had all forgotten about the terrible weather worries of the previous day for as the first flight of the day took off and disappeared in the direction of the coast, the clouds had cleared, the sky was blue and the sun was glorious … what a difference a day makes!!
the obligatory photographs. In no time at all Peter was gathering his next Brave and repeating the exercise of his previous flight and as he taxied out the PA28 returned with passengers aboard to go through a similar procedure.
As always, once everyone has left for home and the aeroplanes have been put away at the end of their days work a strange eeriness descends across an airfield. Hull is no exception but as we sat around with yet another cuppa that eeriness was broken by the laughter of all involved at the club as they discussed the day and some of the questions that the Braves had put to them; there is always one question at least to make you laugh!!! When one of the Braves had completed his flight and excitedly got out of the aircraft claiming the “its been the best day ever, better than our holiday” the pilot was somewhat taken aback when he asked “that’s great, so do you want to be a pilot now?” only to be met with a stark “No”; “an astronaut?” he further quizzed – “No not really”, then the young lad, gazing at one of the members cutting the grass with great precision, chirped up with “I want to be a tractor driver!!”
