News & Events

 

November 2022

Take Off Students 2022

Huge congratulations from the Trustees of Take Off to our 2022 batch of students who completed their flying scholarships over the summer. At least one of the students has been seen back in the Scottish Aero Club taking further lessons with our partner Alba Airsports. The 2022 scholarship winners were (in no particular order):

• Charlotte Orsos (Perth Grammar School)
• Brandon Marnie (St Johns Academy)
• Euan Cummings (Perth Academy)
• Liam Rose (Perth High School)

Big thanks to the instructors at Alba Airsports, Kevin Whitehead and Bob Tadman for all their hard work. And thank you to the weather gods for allowing the flying programme to proceed (almost) as scheduled.

And finally a huge thank you to Pooleys Flight Equipment for providing goodie bags which included flight bags, logbooks and training manuals.

Onwards and upwards!

Instructor Kevin with Charlotte and Brandon

 

Instructor Bob with Liam and Euan

November 2020

Pooleys continue generous sponsorship

Once again Pooleys Flight Equipment have given an enormous boost to our activities by supplying all our successful students with “goodie bags” containing a full array of manuals, a logbook and other training materials.

Sebastian Pooley, Managing Director writes “Pooleys has always sought to give a something back to the aviation community and to open up aviation to those who in their normal lives would not have access to the world of flight or do not have the means to make their dreams of becoming a pilot a reality. We are very lucky indeed that a number of organisations strive to meet these demands. We have been working with the team at Take Off for a number of years and have been delighted with the incredible results they have achieved.”

Take Off continues to be hugely grateful for this support and there are many already well-thumbed manuals to be be seen around the SAC clubrooms to bear witness to the appreciation of our trainee aviators!

 

October 2020

Success despite Covid-19!

 

The last twelve months have generated great expectation and promise, followed by the inevitable frustration and delay that Covid-19 has imposed on all areas of life.

The funding we attracted for 2019 from Blackadders Solicitors and The Perth Forces Charitable Trust was enormously welcome at that time, coming as it did after the previous two completely fallow years, and we were doubly delighted to attract new sponsorship for this year which has now provided for a further five awards. For this we are indebted to the Eric “Winkle” Brown Memorial Fund (The Edinburgh University Air Squadron Association).

With this guaranteed financial backing all four Perth Secondary Schools were again approached in January but school liaison work had only just been completed before full lockdown was imposed at the end of March and the usual pattern of April interviews followed by flying instruction in July was therefore inevitably put on hold. However, with the relative easing of restrictions as the summer went on we were encouraged to consider rescheduling interviews for September with the faint hope of at least some activity during the October Half Term break.

Almost miraculously – and with solid support from Alba Airsports (and the weather gods!) – we now find ourselves in mid-Autumn more than half way through our programme, with three students having completed their 10 hours and all having impressed their instructors by their accomplishments.

Everyone is sorely in need of good news right now, so we’re cock-a-hoop to able to provide this report of success on behalf of the Take Off organisation as well as the individuals involved. Well done, one and all!