BDFA AGM AND DINNER

Time is running out so please make your bookings now.

 BDFA Annual General Meeting and Dinner (with after-dinner speaker) Dr Robert Pleming (Saturday 19th) and flying day (Sunday 20th)

Find out the progress made by the BDFA Executive Committee and plans for the future. See and fly the BDFA aircraft, including the Cherokee which will be leaving us during May for replacement with a PA 28 Warrior.

Hear from Dr Robert Pleming talk all about the trials and tribulations of restoring the Vulcan XH588 to the air, and finding more money to complete the air tests yet again.
More about the Vulcan to the Sky project here and here.
 

If you would like to fly contact Ben Bennett ian.bennett@tesco.net or by phone on 01202 849391 who will make the appropriate arrangements. If you would like to come to the Dinner email normanandjenny@tench.me.uk or call Norman Tench on 01494 565406 with your dinner choices.

We look forward to hearing from you.

Norman Tench
BDFA Secretary

 In June 2007, Chris Leigh was helping man the BDFA stand and entrance at the Aero Expo in High Wycombe, when he entered a competition run by Shell Oil, which he was lucky enough to win. He recently went to CApe Town to claim his prize, a flight in a Lightning, and his experience was reported in Shell's in-house magazine:-

The_Blue_Issue_1_2008

NEW!! Now out in paperback "Wings Around the World" is the story of a solo record breaking round the world flight over the North Pole and Antarctica in a single engine aircraft in aid of "Flying Scholarships for the Disabled". The author, Polly Vacher has been a member of BDFA since 1997 and a long time champion of aviation for the disabled. To purchase your copy go to www.worldwings.org

Miles Hilton-Barber continues to set records. Miles, who has been blind for about 20 years, on Sunday flew with a sighted co-pilot at speeds up to 1,100 mph over Cape Town, South Africa. The English Electric Lightning jet climbed to 50,000 feet in under two minutes, according to the BBC. The record-setting event raised £50,000 for the charity Seeing is Believing, which helps blind children in developing countries. "There are 37 million blind people in the world today, and 28 million could see again tomorrow if the money was available," Hilton-Barber said. He previously flew an ultralight from London to Sydney, and has also tried wingwalking and mountain climbing.

"The rush was incredible. It was just wonderful," Hilton-Barber told the BBC. "Of course, I couldn't see anything but my co-pilot told me that when we were flying upside down at 50,000 feet, you could see the curve of the earth."
More .....

Mobilise is a national charity specialising in the mobility needs of all disabled people. Their April 2008 magazine carried an interesting feature about the BDFA, and featured our Bulldog on the front cover. To find out more about Mobilise click here