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| A Scholar's Diary |
Ian Bennett used to work in aviation as an airworthiness engineer for 20 years until Familial Spastic Paraplegia (also known as hereditary spastic paraplegia) forced his early retirement and he now helps run a support group for others with his condition. His father, a former pilot, introduced him to flying at an early age, and on being awarded a scholarship in April 2005, Ian said “I hope others who are depressed and withdrawn by this disability will find inspiration from my participation in the scheme”.
Ian Bennett |
Ian came back with more than inspiration, he returned with his Private Pilot’s License. He has written a very enlightening report on his time at RAF Cranwell and his six weeks flight training in South Africa some of which is reproduced below:
“Towards the end of March 2005 I was delighted to learn from Sue Whitby that I’d been selected to attend RAF Cranwell in Lincolnshire for the final selection process of the FSD scholarship scheme. On Monday 18 April I left my home in Wimborne, Dorset for a 5 hour drive to Cranwell arriving there mid afternoon. The remainder of that afternoon and evening was spent introducing myself and chatting with the other 23 potential scholars and the 8 mentors (previous scholars who were there to assist).
Tuesday morning consisted of an interview with a couple of FSD Trustees followed by the ears, eyes and heart part of the medical. I was very impressed with the thoroughness of the medical, and surprised at how relaxing the interview was. After lunch, my medical was concluded and immediately after this I was taken to a nearby Cherokee to demonstrate that I was able to access a light aircraft safely. Later in the afternoon, together with all the other applicants I sat down in a computer suite and got stuck into the aptitude test, which lasted about an hour. Tuesday evening was also spent in the bar chatting to fellow candidates and FSD Trustees. |
Immediately after breakfast on the Wednesday morning I smartened myself up to the best of my ability and waited to be called for the final interview. Luckily I was one of the first on the list and so the wait wasn’t too unbearable. On entering the interview room, although the initial sight of around 25 people facing me was a little daunting, ACM Sir David Cousins instantly made me feel very comfortable with his initial exchanges. Members of the board sat in the front row and one by one asked me diverse questions which I did my best to answer with some intelligence! In fact the 20 minutes of what I’d anticipated would be torture raced by and I left the room feeling that it had gone pretty well. I stayed for lunch, but shortly afterwards, said my goodbyes and set off for home.
While driving home I mulled over the whole experience. Breakfast, lunch and dinner had been provided throughout and I thought the food was great. I’d made a couple of good friends and all the staff were really helpful; throughout the entire stay there was always someone there to point people in the right direction and assist with any mobility problems. As to my performance, well I was happy with it but was the selection board? Fortunately the members were because Sue Whitby telephoned me early on the Friday morning with the fantastic news that I had been selected for a full six week scholarship at 43 Air School, South Africa commencing 30 July 2005. |
Ian receiving his certificate from
HM Queen Noor
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As my departure drew closer, a little anxiety crept in as I had no clear idea of exactly what the six weeks would entail. I have a rare neurological disorder called Familial Spastic Paraplegia and I started to question whether I was possibly about to take on too much – not to mention the fact that I was leaving my wife and two daughters behind.
I needn’t have worried! Following an exhausting 36 hour journey, Louise Scotter, Andy Thomson, Mark Salter and I arrived at 43 Air School late on a Sunday evening. I was immediately shown to my room but was too tired at the time to appreciate the high standard of accommodation. However, it didn’t take me long to appreciate just how lucky I was.
Nik Kopfer, Ian’s instructor, congratulates
him after his first solo flight and the traditional dunking in the pool! |
From day one, we were introduced to our instructors and the flying began. Those early flights are something I’ll never forget. Myself, regularly piloting an aircraft over stunning coastal scenery in the Eastern Cape is dream material, and yet here it was really happening. However, there was a part of the flying syllabus that I hadn’t fully anticipated. Ground school!
On the first Monday morning we discovered that we had to attend two hours of ground school every day, and in the very first of these session we were each confronted by a pile of books at least a foot high. It suddenly dawned on me that there was some work to be done here, and it was then explained that there were eight exams to sit. This may sound daunting and initially it was, but it turned out that our ground school lecturer, Paul, was one in a million. Not only is he a gifted teacher, but he also spent much of his own time with us, demonstrating endless patience going over any problems and any misunderstandings we had. In fact, this attitude typified many of the staff at 43 Air School.
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I decided to work hard but there was time to have some fun too. As the days and weeks passed by and we got deeper into the syllabus, we all experienced highs and lows. Days when safe landings seemed impossible, navigation exercises that went hopelessly wrong, problems learning some the technical theory and a ‘runway widening exercise’ are just a few examples of some of the lows. Nevertheless, we supported each other when the chips were down, as indeed did all our fellow students and instructors.
The four of us bonded well from day one and have become very close friends. We have also made many new friends from around the globe and I can’t thank the other students enough for interacting with us as they did. Our instructors and lecturer deserve immeasurable thanks for their hard work and patience with us throughout the six weeks. In fact, we received help and support from the cleaners’ right up to senior management.
For me, going solo was simply unforgettable but the icing on the cake was achieving my PPL at the end of the course. When I made my application to FSD, I could have never imagined that a life time’s ambition was to be achieved within the nine months that followed”.
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