Fairoaks Airport Bar (F A B!) Now Open
After a change in ownership and stylish renovation, the Fairoaks Airport Bar (F A B!) is now open for business! The opening night was held on Friday and was a huge success with over 100 people joining the fun throughout the evening.
Jack Page, one of the Barman at F A B!, commented, "It was great to see such a wide range of people throughout the evening. Everyone from private owners, flight centre members, workers at the airfield and even visitors to Fairoaks dropped by for a couple of pints and added to an exciting atmosphere on the night. Raising the profile of the bar is our main aim at the moment and we feel the success of our opening night has helped to do just that. We are looking forward to some exciting events throughout the year and of course getting to know our new 'locals'!"
F A B! is open every Wednesday and Friday from 5pm till late. Everyone is welcome and there will be events throughout the year so keep an eye out for the latest news and we look forward to seeing you there soon!
Farnborough ATC Visit
As part of a new liaison between local air traffic control and general aviation pilots, 25 members visited Farnborough ATC over the weekend. This initiative, led by controllers at Farnborough, aims to increase awareness of the challenges faced by both parties with the aim of making operations in the local airspace safer and more efficient.
The visit provided members with the opportunity to visit the radar room and tower at Farnborough, as well as take part in a Q&A session with the controllers. Above all, many members commented how great it was to meet the controllers first-hand, allowing them to see the mysterious voice is indeed human after all!
In return, and with the generous help of our members, we have provided controllers at Farnborough with the opportunity to back seat some local flights to experience the workload from the pilot's perspective.
Special thanks goes to Matthew Thompson at NATS who hosted the visits at Farnborough and for those of you who were not able to attend this latest visit, there are some more planned for the winter period so keep an eye out on the emails for further information.
Christopher’s Smile
Continuing with our charity commitments in 2013, we are delighted to have sponsored the Autumn Ball of Christopher's Smile, held at Wentworth Golf Club on the 19th October 2013. The charity was founded in 2008 after Karen and Kevin sadly lost their son, Christopher, in June the same year to an aggressive medulloblsatoma brain tumour. Following a 21 month battle with the disease, he passed away 9 days before his 6th birthday. Their vision is "for every child diagnosed with childhood cancer to not only survive, but to reach adulthood enjoying a good quality of life."
Karen and Kevin wrote to us following the Ball and were pleased to report, "The event was enjoyed by over 200 guests and we are delighted to have raised in excess of £40,000 for Christopher’s Smile. With the monies raised from the Ball will be able to complete the funds needed to extend the tenure to a third year for our Molecular Pathologist exclusively for paediatrics. Our goal was to be able to commit to this position by the end of 2013 and we are now in a position to be able to do this."
Further details regarding the charity are available at http://www.christopherssmile.org.uk/ and we wish Karen and Kevin the very best in achieving their vision in memory of Christopher.
Welcome Jack Page!
Synergy Aviation are delighted to welcome Jack Page to the team at Fairoaks. Jack joins us as an Operations Assistant within our charter department and will help to ensure all our flights are dispatched smoothly, on-time and to our customers exacting requirements. There will be steep learning curve ahead as he learns the ropes but we wish him the very best in his new role!
Interested in aircraft charter? Give Jack or anyone in our operations team a call on 01276 485 747 and they will be happy to provide you with a quotation or further information as required.
Hoe Bridge 25th Anniversary Ball
Synergy Aviation was pleased support Hoe Bridge school at their 25th Anniversary Ball this July. Fenella Leigh, Hoe Bridge School Social Committee, reported, 'It was a dazzling night filled with much laughter and dancing and some very serious bidding on our auction prizes. There was tremendous bidding for the flight voucher, which raised £300, and I fear a measure of disappointment from those who missed out on your prize.'
Hoe Bride was able to raise an amazing £18,640 for their two charities Link Able (www.linkleisure.org.uk) and Plan International (www.plan-international.org) through their recent fundraising activities. Synergy Aviation was pleased to help contribute to this amazing result and we look forward to welcoming the generous bidder at Fairoaks soon!
Fun Day & Party Night – 13 July 2013
Join the party on Saturday 13th July! Friends and family all welcome come rain or shine. Be sure to book in advance for the spot landing competition, flight experiences and airport tours as spaces are limited.
Reduced rates for the flying are:
Spot Landing - 3 Circuits
Cessna 152: £80
Piper PA28: £99
Experience Flights - 20 Minutes
Cessna 152: £60
Piper PA28: £80
The evening party, complete with a licensed bar and live music will provide a great social atmosphere till late. We look forward to seeing you there!
New PPL Examinations
In order to comply with new legislation requirements under EASA, a new PPL theoretical examination syllabus is being introduced by the UK CAA and will take effect from 1 September 2013. Full details are available from IN-2013/061 and Standards Document 11 (v12) but a summary of the main points as applicable to current students are included below.
There are two main differences between the old and new exam syllabus:
- Increase from seven to nine exams
- Introduction of ‘sittings’
Increase In Exams
The two additional exams in the new syllabus arise from the current Aviation Law & Operational Procedures and Aircraft General & Principles of Flight each being split into two separate exams. A comparison is made below:
Introduction of 'sittings'
There will be maximum of 6 sittings available in order to complete all the required theoretical examinations.
A sitting is defined as a maximum period of 10 consecutive days within which one or more exams can be taken.
In addition to these requirements, all the theoretical exams must be completed within an 18 month period (counted from the end of the calendar month when the applicant first attempted an examination). Once they have been completed within this period, the passes will be valid for 24 months for the purpose of license issue.
Transition Arrangements
The majority of exam passes before the transition date on 1 September 2013 will carry over to the new syllabus. There are however some specific arrangements listed below.
As a result of the increase in exams mentioned above, the following arrangements apply:
A pass in the current Aviation Law exam will be valid for both the Air Law and Operational Procedures exams under the new syllabus.
A pass in the current Aircraft General & Principles of Flight will be valid for both the Aircraft General Knowledge and Principles of Flight exams under the new syllabus.
Under the new syllabus, the topic areas in Flight Performance & Planning and Navigation have moved between subjects. As a result the following arrangements apply:
In the case of the two subjects Flight Performance & Planning and Navigation, a student will need to pass both subjects prior to 1 September 2013 in order to carry the passes over to the new syllabus. No credit will be given for a pass in one subject only. Students who have not passed both subjects by 1 September 2013 will have to sit both examinations to the new syllabus.
Further Guidance
We welcome any questions from our members regarding the new examinations and will be happy to advise on the impact these changes will have to your individual situation. Please feel free to ask your instructor or Marcus for any further details.
Radiotelephony (RT Practical) Exam
Synergy Aviation, based at Fairoaks Airport in Surrey, is pleased to have recently received approval from the CAA for the conduct of practical radiotelephony examinations (RT Practical).
Flight Centre Manager, Marcus Almeida, reports "it is great to now offer the complete range of ground and practical examinations in-house at Fairoaks. We are also excited to welcome the addition of our latest instructor, Harry Mills. Harry joins the team in response to increased demand following a month on month improvement in flying hours this year."
Students looking to book their radiotelephony practical exam should contact the Flight Centre for further details. Tests are normally conducted on a Friday afternoon and evening at a charge of £110. Training in advanced of the exam is available from the instructors at the standard rate of £30/hr.
William Ames – Duke of Edinburgh
William wrote to us after his raffle saying, "Synergy Aviation’s generous donation of a voucher for a flying lesson really kick-started my fundraising for my Gold Duke of Edinburgh award to Norway, kayaking and walking for 14 days. The voucher was raffled, raising me and few others a substantial amount of money towards our required total. Without the help of Synergy Aviation, I would be just scraping enough money for my expedition, now I am comfortable that I will make it financially. Not to mention a very lucky woman walked off with a trial flying lesson in her pocket! Thanks a lot Synergy!"
Monaco to Mayfair
Synergy Aviation recently sponsored Pete de Bourcier and Tim Bennett on their epic walk from Monaco to Mayfair in aid of SportsAid. Starting from the Fairmont Hotel in Monte Carlo, the duo finished their 1400km walk in style at the Dorchester Hotel in Mayfair. Congratulating them on the steps of the Dorchester hotel were former England football manager, Kevin Keegan and SportsAid alumni, Roger Black – a former world champion 400m runner – and Tim Farr, who hopes to compete at the Sochi Winter Paralympic Games next year.
Speaking to SportsAid afterwards Peter de Bourcier said, “I’m elated that we’ve finished because it’s been such a long journey after 38 days on the road, but I also know that in a few days time I’ll be missing the walking, missing the adventure.”
Synergy's MD commented, "I am so pleased that 'the boys' completed this challenge and can only imagine how difficult it must have been at times. We are delighted to have supported them and SportsAid in this unique event which links two of our biggest markets - Monaco and Mayfair."
Sponsorship is still being collected and donations can be made at www.monaco2mayfair.co.uk
Pete de Bourcier and Synergy Aviation MD Glen Heavens with an Olympic torch during the last few kilometres of the Monaco - Mayfair walk.