Scholarship gives wings to plane enthusiast for the Air Display

Thursday 09 August 2018

A 35-year-old plane enthusiast will be flying high as part of the Air Display in September after winning the Helping Wings scholarship and £2,000 worth of flying training with the Jersey Aero Club.

Ross Le Noa was put forward for the scholarship from Helping Wings, the Jersey light aviation charity which recently celebrated its 10th anniversary, by one of his support workers at Les Amis.

The 35-year-old man is a big plane enthusiast and admits aviation is his main hobby. Ross even keeps a small collection of plane models at home. "I really like planes, especially the view you get from them," he told Express. "It feels quite different to be in a place and it's pretty good."

Last year, Ross and one of his support workers from Les Amis, Michael Szpera, went on a flight with Helping Wings. Ross loved it so much that he asked Michael if he could get flying lessons. Michael explained: "Ross has always been interested in anything mechanical, whether it be cars, boats and planes. We went on the flight together and he really loved it. Unfortunately I had to tell him that flying lessons were out of the price range because we have limited finances.

"And then this fantastic offer from Helping Wings came through and I asked Ross if he wanted to apply and he was definitely up for it."

Pictured: Ross with past Helping Wings scholarship winners Chakotay Wood, Emma Le Seller and Melissa Alves.

Ross was surprised and shocked to hear he had won the scholarship, which was launched six years ago with the support of Ports of Jersey to help the disadvantaged and the disabled, and gives him access to £2000 worth of flying training with the Jersey Aero Club. 

Eveline Hawkin, Helping Wings Chair, explained that the charity selected Ross as the winner of the scholarship as, like previous winners, he will be able "to get a great deal out the scholarship. "The winners get 10 hours of flying training, they don't have to carry on training to become a private pilot, but some do. The aim of the scholarship is personal achievement and for people to push themselves.

"Anyone can apply or put someone's name forward and we look for people who could get a great deal out of the challenge. We encourage people to nominate others if winning the scholarship could help them enjoy life a little bit more. It is quite important to us."

Pictured: Andrew Boustouler of Ports of Jersey, Ross Le Noa and Jersey Aero Club instructor Gary Philips.

Ross received his certificate on 26 July along with a flying log book to keep a record of his training. His first flying session took place shortly after with Jersey Aero Club Instructor Gary Phillips. After a short brief about safety, Ross was able to go in the plane and fly above the island. The session was however cut short as Ross and Gary found themselves in a middle of a storm and had to touch ground again.

Despite the mishap, Ross really enjoyed the session and is eager to fly again very soon. "I was excited to start and it went pretty good," he explained. "The best part is actually going in the plane and taking off."

Michael added: "Ross loved the first lesson, he was able to take off and land the plane himself and he was absolutely thrilled. He is very much looking forward to the next one.

"This scholarship has turned out to be so much more than we would ever have imagined. When I applied I thought Ross would just get a few hours of lessons, which was fantastic. But on top of the lessons, he is going to get a tour of the control tower and an engineer is going to show him the inside of an air plane and explain how everything works. He has also been invited to social events and has become part of this whole community, which is amazing. 

"It is a huge thing for him and it's really fantastic. He is loving every minute."

Pictured: Instructor David Jandron and James Evans, with Helping Wings students Cody Crocker and Jack Brown (in the middle) at the Jersey Air Display last year.

While he has only one lesson under his belt, Ross already knows he would like to carry on once his 10 hours are up. In the future, he says he would like to become a private pilot and maybe fly to the UK or France. While the prospect of flying an aircraft might seem daunting to most, for Ross it is actually exciting. "Taking control of the plane is one of my favourite things. The planes are quite easy to control once you get to know how."

Before that, Ross will get the opportunity of taking part in the Air Display on 13 September. This year will mark the third year, Helping Wings has been invited to take part in the event, which will see the return of the "sorely missed" Red Arrows. Ross will be one of two students flying on the day. He will share a Tecnam, one of three new aircraft purchased by the Aero Club to replace the current fleet, with Gary. Emma Le Seller, a past scholarship winner, will also fly in one of the other new aircraft with an instructor. 

"I am quite a bit nervous about the Air Display," confided Ross. "This will be my first time flying but Gary is a pretty good instructor."