I attended the 2023 Air League Scholarship Awards Reception at the Royal Aeronautical Society, London. In this blog I will talk about my experience, some of the interactions I had and how it went as a whole. 

For context – recently I was awarded the 5-hour flying scholarship funded by the Stelios Foundation in association with the Air League. 

Initially, I bought tickets for my sister and I to attend. Unfortunately she could not attend at the last minute. However, this opened up an opportunity for me to put myself out there and mingle with as many people as I could in the short time we had.

Upon arrival… I met Air Marshal Sir Christopher Harper KBE FRAeS, the president of the Air League. I thanked him and the Air League for the amazing opportunity. He presented me with the scholarship award and we got talking about my flying ambitions. It was a pleasure meeting Sir Christopher and talking about the importance of the Air League and their impact on young people – especially those from BAME backgrounds.

Walking into the main hall, I recognised someone I happened to follow on instagram! I remember reaching out to Riccardo on Instagram after he had been awarded a scholarship in 2022. We spoke in lengths about his experience and the application. It was great seeing him here in person to thank him after receiving my scholarship.

Later in the evening I spoke in great lengths with Christopher Walkinshaw, Group Communications Director and non-executive Director at Marshall of Cambridge. He is also the board member of the Reserve Forces and Cadet Association in East Anglia, Chairman at No. 104 Squadron of RAF Air Cadets  and Vice-President of the Air League Trust. 

We predominantly spoke about his position at the Marshall Group and how the organisation has evolved as an independent, family-owned British company supporting armed forces and more at Cambridge Airport. In the early days it was involved in training airmen for the Royal Air Force. It later branched out to special vehicle engineering, land systems, property and other subsidiaries. We also spoke about their future ambitions with new aerospace operations to commence from Cranfield Airport in the near future. It was a pleasure meeting a highly-intelligent man like Christopher and hearing about his journey in aviation and more about the Marshall Group.

Through the evening I also had the opportunity to listen to Simon Cheadle, Director of Flight Operations at British Airways. He spoke about his journey to becoming a pilot and beyond. I also had the opportunity to speak with him 1-2-1 amongst a few other people. The one take-away was to not give up. He spoke about the time he went to the flight school training centre with a thought in mind – ‘if I don’t get through I’ll pack aviation in’. Evidently he got through and proceeded with his training. But what if he hadn’t?… he would have missed the career of a lifetime and the opportunities that aviation brings! That was an interesting insight to hear. He also answered some burning questions I had about the British Airways Speedbird Pilot Academy Programme.

By this point it was quite late in the evening and 80% of the people had left!

Towards the end I met Dipster or the Indianaviator as he goes by his blog page. I was really impressed by his credentials! By the age of 29 he is now flying the Boeing 777 for the Big Yellow. From being a young boy growing up in India to now flying Boeing 777s and sponsoring others into aviation! His experience really inspired me and proved that the right mindset is needed despite the obstacles you face – anything is possible. Interestingly enough just after the event he would go on a world tour – quite literally. From East Midlands, Leipzig, Cincinnati, Nagoya, Hong Kong, Dubai and back to East Midlands. We finished our talks with exchanging contact information to stay in touch as he embarks on a new journey with the mighty Speedbird’s in the near future! 

I also happened to bump into another Air League Scholar who flew from the same airfield as me on one of the days I was flying! It was great catching up and hearing how she has found her flying. 

I met countless others and spoke about their amazing journey’s. But these are some of the ones that stuck out. 

I would like to thank everyone at The Air League and The Stelios Philanthropic Foundation for making this happen. The 5-hour scholarship was an invaluable opportunity to push ahead with my flying to attain my PPL.