Vic Wheele’s Bench Seat
Paul Wheele, Cath Wayman and Tim Wheele
Cath Wayman, longtime friend of Vic, decided to donate a bench seat in his memory. She thought it would be fitting to locate it at Terminal Two, where he spent much of the summer of his latter years talking to friends and aviators, whilst sitting outside at the tables on the grass. On the Friday of the Airshow week-end the seat was unveiled by Vic’s eldest son Paul with many of Vic’s friends and family present. As you sit on this memorial seat please remember him. For all who knew him he is sadly missed.
Paul Wheele
Celebrating 100 years of Guiding and First Woman Pilot
This year is not only the centenary of the airport but also of the Girl Guides and the first woman to gain a Pilot Licence, so on 2nd August, Clare Lowndes and Dorothy Pooley took seven guides and their leaders for trial flying lessons. Dorothy took the two leaders in the PA28 G-TLET and Clare took the five girls shown in the photo, individually in the C152, G-CEPX. Everyone really enjoyed it and they loved celebrating all those centenaries together. Since then Dorothy has taken James Crabbe’s twin 13 year old daughters for a flight in the R44 G-HFLY. James is the MD of Sussex Flying Club. There is a website dedicated to getting as many women airborne this year for the centenary of the first woman to get her pilot’s licence, so nine names have been added to the list! Next year will be the centenary of the first English woman, Mrs Hilda Hewlett, to gain her pilot’s licence. She then went on to be the first woman to own and run a flying school, which she set up at Brooklands. It is fitting that the Women in Aviation conference is due to be held at Brooklands on November 5th and 6th this year! Anyone who wishes to apply to attend the conference is welcome and should visit the website at www.wai.org - look for the link to the European conference. Delegates will have the opportunity to fly the Concorde simulator as part of their registration fee and please note men are not excluded!