Page 9 - issue03.05.2019
P. 9

Royal Air Force News Friday, May 3, 2019 P9

                                                                                                                                                News



                                       Para-Rangers
           News bulletin










                                                                                                                            Simon Mander

                                                                                                                            DAREDEVIL PILOTS  are celebrating
                                                                                                                            completing  a  265-mile  cross  country
                                                                                                                            paramotor marathon taking in 44 current
                                                                                                                            and historic air bases.
                                                                                                                              Flt Lt Giles Fowler and Paul Mockford
                                                                                                                            flew into RAF Halton having completed
                                                                                                                            their daring stunt to raise funds for the Royal
                                                                                                                            Air Forces Association.
       ON THE RUN: Athlete Alex with daughter                                                                                 The duo, supported by fellow aviators
       Evelyn during a training session.                                                                                    and ground support staff Katie Pagett and
                                                                                                                            Andy Greaves, flew for 10 hours over two
       RAF mum Alex’s                                                                                                       days starting in Humberside and finishing
                                                                                                                            at the Buckinghamshire station.
       London pramathon                                                                                                     adventure. Conditions were very rough but
                                                                                                                              Flt Lt Fowler said: “This has been a real
       AIR FORCE  mum Cpl Alexandra                                                                                         we pressed on and we were warmly greeted
       Brown got in shape for the London                                                                                    at all the airfields we needed to land at”.
       Marathon - by pushing her three-                                                                                       Giles and Paul launched their engine-
       year-old daughter Evelyn along in her                                                                                powered paragliders from the old RAF
       buggy during training sessions.                                                                                      Boxhill Bomber Command airfield and flew
         The super fit air woman completed                                                                                  over Humberside airport before their first
       20 mile runs with Evelyn ahead of the                                                                                refuelling stop at Scampton, only minutes
       annual road race after finishing her                                                                                 before the Red Arrows took off.
       shifts as a deputy mess manager at                                                                                     The rest of the day took them
       RAF Waddington.                                                                                                      through busy Lincolnshire airspace over
                                                                                                                            Waddington, Cranwell, and Barkston
                                                                                                                            Heath, before landing at Buckminster
                                                                                                                            Gliding Club at Saltby.
                                                                                                                              Flt Lt Fowler said: “The first day finished
                                                                                                                            after our longest leg of nearly 50 miles
                                                                                                                            landing at Sywell  aerodrome, with only
                                                                                                                            five minutes to spare before the Air Traffic
                                                                                                                            Control Tower closed, having flown for
                                                                                                                            nearly six hours that day in some very rough
                                                                                                                            air.
                                                                                                                              “The second day brought different
                                                                                                                            flying weather and stronger winds, but we
                                                                                                                            pressed on and overflew Santa pod raceway,
                                                                                                                            Silverstone race circuit and eventually
                                                                                                                            landed at Turweston airport. “
                                                                                                                              The  penultimate  leg  saw  them  over
         She said: “Runs are squeezed in                                                                                    Upper Heyford, the location for many
       around my shift pattern at work and                                                                                  major block buster films including Wonder
       Evelyn’s needs. She’s my little training                                                                             Woman, World War Z and Octopussy,
       partner. I strap her in to her buggy                                                                                 before landing at Bicester Gliding Club.
       and she’ll snuggle down and come                                                                                       Flt Lt Fowler said: “The final leg was the
       with  me  on  even  my  longest  runs.                                                                               hardest as the friendly tail winds were now
       The furthest we’ve done together is                                                                                  headwinds. The 40-mile route became a slog
       22.9 miles.”                                                                                                         to get to our last destination, RAF Halton.”
         Alex  was  the  first  woman                                                                                         RAFA40 has raised over £2200 for the
       to  complete  last  year’s  Port                                                                                     RAF Association.
       Stanley half marathon during                                                                                         lTo donate go to https://www.
       her  tour  in  the  Falklands                                                                                        justgiving.com/fundraising/rafa40.
       Islands, with a winning  time of
       1 hour 34 secs.

       Revamped museum nets a million                                                              Vickers fires BSB salvo




       NEARLY  A MILLION visitors  made in the redevelopment of our                                for coming season
       stepped through the doors of the  London site and a reflection on the
       revamped RAF Museum according  public’s support for the RAF during
       to latest figures.            its centenary year.
         In total, 989,593 people enjoyed   “It also reflects how the museum’s
       its exhibits in the year to the end of  new vision of inspiring everyone
       March – an increase of 39 per cent  with the Royal Air Force story has
       on the last 12 months.        struck a chord with longstanding
         The Museum’s London site  and new visitors.                                               l Sport
       recorded 544,628 visitors up 59 per   “We are sharing these stories
       cent, while its Cosford collection  through our collections in new
       in the West Midlands welcomed  immersive ways, with inspiring                                           p26
       444,965 visitors, a leap of 20 per cent.  exhibitions, in landscaping that
         Museum CEO Maggie Appleton  recalls our aviation heritage, and
       said: “This growth is a fabulous  across our event and activity
       response to the huge investment  programmes. “
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