Wounded, injured or sick former servicemen and women have the chance to fly high again by retraining as commercial pilots with the help of the Veterans’ Foundation.
The Veterans’ Foundation has awarded Wings For Warriors a grant of £25,000 to help fund the operating salary for the charity’s general manager for the next year.
It is the latest in a series of grants totalling more than £100,000 given to Wings For Warriors since 2017 by The Veterans’ Foundation, which raises funds through its Veterans’ Lottery to help charities provide vital assistance to the armed forces’ community.
Wings For Warriors provides retraining in aviation for wounded, injured or sick servicemen and women who have been medically discharged from the British armed forces.
The charity’s beneficiaries typically undergo 12-18 months flight training, firstly at their local flight school before completing their commercial flight training at Skyborne Academy in Gloucester.
Wings For Warriors CEO, Mark Radcliffe, said: “Veterans want to get into meaningful work and continue to make a valuable contribution to society after serving their country.
“Many give much more than just their service. They are well used to performing at the highest level under pressure and are highly motivated and responsible.
“We are very grateful to The Veterans’ Foundation for this grant, which will help us to retrain more wounded, sick and injured veterans as pilots.
Among those who have trained as commercial pilots are former veteran, 'Sapper' Sam Taylor, who was shot in the neck while serving in Afghanistan and feared he would never walk again; former Commando, James Taylor, who has fought his way back from cancer, and REME Craftsman Louis Farrell, who lost a leg following an accident during a training exercise. All are now based at Manchester Airport with commercial airlines.
“These men served our country with pride but often come out of the service with few prospects. We felt Wings For Warriors provided tangible benefits through retraining,” said The Veterans’ Foundation Grants Manager, Sarah Kelling.
“Veterans want to be able to support their families and continue to contribute to society, and we are delighted to award grants that helps ensure they can continue to do that.”
