The Vintage Aircraft Club (VAC) is inviting applicants to apply for its annual Taildragger Flying Scholarship.
Pilots under the age of 35 holding a PPL, NPPL or LAPL, with a minimum of 100 hours in their log, are invited to apply for the scholarship. The successful candidate will receive £1,000 to convert to taildragger aircraft at a recognised flying school. The award is to be used for the cost of hiring the aircraft and the instructor for five hours of conversion training. An application for the scholarship can be made using the form on the VAC website (http://www.vintageaircraftclub.org.uk/taildragger-scholarship.php) and the closing date for entry is September 30, 2024.
The aim of the VAC – which celebrates its 60th anniversary in 2024 – is to provide a focal body for owners, pilots and enthusiasts of vintage and classic light aircraft. It arranges fly-ins and other events, and publishes a newsletter for its members, which number around 400.
The Taildragger Flying Scholarship is awarded in memory of VAC member, de Havilland Tiger Moth pilot and flying instructor, Liz Inwood, who sadly passed away in October 2013. Her family decided to give a legacy to the VAC, which the club decided to match, to establish the scholarship in her name. By the end of 2015 sufficient funds were available to allow the scholarship to become an on-going, annual award, allowing the VAC to launch it in May 2016.
The scholarship is intended to encourage young pilots to transition from nose wheel to taildragger aircraft, giving them an opportunity to fly more vintage types. Awarded each year, Rose Walters was the 2023 recipient; she was informed of her success during a presentation at the VAC’s annual general meeting at Old Warden in Bedfordshire on October 29.
Ms Walters, speaking after receiving the award, said: “the prospect of attempting tailwheel flying has been an aspiration I’ve held since working at and flying from Compton Abbas Airfield, where I first experienced the exhilaration of flying a Chipmunk. This experience ignited a respect and enjoyment for vintage and tailwheel aircraft and the unique challenges they present. Receiving this scholarship validates my dedication to expanding my skill set and embracing the art of tailwheel flying.”
The winner of the 2024 Scholarship will be invited to the VAC Annual Dinner and Awards at The Aviator at Sywell Aerodrome in Northamptonshire, on November 16, where he or she will be formally notified they have been successful in their application.
