Royal Aero Club Trust - Backing the Future
Pooleys has supported the Royal Aero Club Trust since 2019, and it is one of the commitments we are proudest of. We have always believed the future of aviation depends on giving young people a way in. Flying is not cheap, and for many talented would be pilots the cost of training is the single biggest barrier between them and the cockpit. Backing the Trust is our way of helping the next generation take to the air.
The Trust, established in 1998, exists to help young people build their flying skills and to preserve the heritage of British aviation. It is the custodian of the Royal Aero Club Collection, the historic archive of the Royal Aero Club, whose roots reach back to 1901 and the earliest days of powered flight. Alongside that guardianship, the Trust runs its Flying for Youth Scheme, awarding bursaries each year across an impressively wide range of air sports, from gliding, ballooning and paragliding to microlights, helicopters, parachuting and model aircraft.
A helping hand at the right moment
What makes the scheme special is its reach. Bursaries are open to young people who already hold a basic air sports qualification and want to take the next step, while advanced awards go to exceptionally able applicants pursuing higher qualifications, including instructor ratings, or competing at national and international level. It supports pilots at exactly the moments when a little help makes the biggest difference.
Since 2019 Pooleys has funded the Pooley Bursary within that scheme. For us it is a natural fit. Everything we do is built around pilots and the people who train them, and there is no better investment than a young pilot with the ambition to go further.
The impact is real and personal. This year the Pooley Bursary helped Ylva Grosche complete her Basic Gliding Instructor qualification, which means she can now fly with members of the public and introduce more people to the sport she loves. As Ylva put it, she is "excited to take the next step in my gliding journey and start flying with passengers." Every pilot she now brings to the air is part of the ripple the bursary sets out to create.
If you would like to learn more about the Trust, its bursaries and how to support its work, you will find everything on the Royal Aero Club Trust website. And to every young pilot chasing a place in the sky: keep going. We are right behind you.
Visit the Royal Aero Club Trust → https://www.royalaeroclubtrust.org/