A charity that hopes to lift wounded veterans into a new career as airline pilots has warned that it needs a big corporate cash injection to fully deliver its dream of a flight school at Aberdeen airport.
Wings for Warriors has submitted a planning application for a two-storey office building on grassland near Aberdeen Airport at Wellheads Drive.
It is envisaged that this will be used to train injured ex-soldiers, sailors and airmen to be trained as commercial pilots.
The facility would be the first of its kind in the world.
Training to become a commercial pilot often proves prohibitively expensive for many would-be flyers with candidates often expected to fund their own licence which can cost more than £100,000 and takes two years to obtain according to the Civil Aviation Authority.
But helicopter pilot Mark Radcliffe, who founded the charity in 2011, said the charity was seeking “corporate sponsors” to allow the former servicemen to learn to fly for free.
He said that ideas being considered were allowing firms to put their logos onto planes among others.
So far the organisation has helped 15 veterans become either chopper or plane pilots.
He said: “We are currently now working through all the hoops that you would expect on setting up at an international airport, and I have to say the team at Aberdeen Airport have been wonderful.
“There is one plane currently that needs maintenance after every 150 hours of flying time.
“What we are lacking is major sponsorship, so I would appeal to any firms, from the biggest to the smallest, to get in touch.
“Because we are so streamlined in our structure, far more pennies in the pound that are donated to us go to where they are needed.
“It’s a horrible pun but the sky really is the limit.”
Conservative West Aberdeenshire and Kincardine MP Andrew Bowie, a former Royal Navy officer, said: “Wings for Warriors is a unique charity that offers disabled veterans a future worth fighting for by training them as professional pilots.
“For many servicemen and women, leaving the armed forces can appear scary and uncertain at the best of times.”
To get in touch about sponsorship please email info@wings4warriors.org.uk
