Budding pilots get to see Northampton at 1,800ft at Young Aviators Day

A fleet of over 80 young people took to the skies at the 12th Annual Young Aviators Day at Sywell Aerodrome on Saturday (September 16).

Organiser Andrew Faehndrich says the yearly chance for a free trip in a two-man aircraft will spark the next generation of engineers in Northamptonshire.

He said: "It's a day of education, inspiration and fun. It lets young people understand the opportunities for a career in aviation and STEM subjects [science, technology, engineering and maths].

"The kids were inspired and there were smiles all around. The whole event is free and Sywell is just such a great community asset to support it."

A crew of 15 volunteer pilots flew 88 flights on the day to give everyone a chance to see Northampton at 18,000ft.

The budding pilots also toured the aviation museum and worked in teams to design a paper aircraft that could safely land an egg without cracking it.

Andre said: "They came up with some amazing solutions to keep the egg safe in the workshops. There are opportunities to learn about aviation and consider becoming an engineer.

"The kids enjoyed it, the scouts enjoyed it, the parents enjoyed it. It was a wonderful success.

"We will continue to hold this event as long as we can. We're on schedule to fly our 1,000th young person at the event in 2019."

For more information on the young aviation scheme, visit the Youth, Education & Support Flyers website.