http://www.vintageaircraftclub.org.uk> Liz Inwood Taildragger Scholarship
David Curtis is the Liz Inwood Taildragger Scholarship 2020 Winner.
For David's post scholarship report see here.
The highly popular Vintage Aircraft Club 'Liz Inwood Taildragger Scholarship' for 2020 has been awarded to David Curtis, a 24 year old pilot flying from Eshott in Northumberland. In addition to flying the local club's Cessna 150, David has been assisting in the airfield's engineering hangar working on their rare Morane-Saulnier 315, Chipmunk and Auster AOP6 aircraft. The Scholarship, named in memory of the late Tiger Moth pilot and flying instructor Liz Inwood, is funded by donations from the Vintage Aircraft Club, Light Aircraft Association and the Inwood estate. It is aimed at young pilots who wish to convert from typical flying club nose wheel designs to older tailwheel types, potentially opening the door to flying a wider range of vintage and classic types. David will be awarded five hours flying to assist in learning classic 'taildragger' handling, which now forms part of the now-required differences training for older types. "Despite the challenges posed by COVID, the Vintage Aircraft Club has continued to grow with more than 300 members involved with classic and vintage aircraft" said chairman Anne Hughes. "This year's Scholarship attracted a very high quality of entries, obviously keen to develop the skills to operate the older type of conventional undercarriage aircraft, or 'taildraggers' as they are more commonly known. David stood out with both his hands-on approach and clear enthusiasm." Said David. "Being involved with unique projects at Eshott sparked the desire to restore my own aircraft; as a result I am currently rebuilding an Evans VP1 Volksplane, which I purchased non-flying and without an engine from Old Warden. The reason for choosing this was the affordability of both the purchasing and ongoing operation, along with the pleasure of flying open cockpit. The project is progressing well and I am looking to begin recovering the wings in the coming weeks. The scholarship will then equip me with the skills necessary to fly the aeroplane on completion of the rebuild."
The Vintage Aircraft Club was formed nearly fifty five years ago as a club for owners, pilots and enthusiasts of vintage and classic light aircraft. Currently the club has 350 members from across the UK and holds regular fly-ins, ground events and forums throughout the year. In common with many other aviation organisations the VAC is aware of a rapidly widening age gap within the membership. In order for the club to thrive and survive we are aware that we need to encourage and attract younger members to share our enthusiasm for flying vintage aircraft. It is also important that we pass on the skills to fly these aircraft which typically have the older type of conventional undercarriage - the taildraggers. For this reason the Taildragger Scholarship was set up by the Liz Inwood Trust along with the VAC and we are pleased to make this annual award available to qualified pilots, under 36 years old, with 100hrs or more enabling them to train for up to 5 hours at a recognised flying school. Each year the selection panel will chose one pilot out of the many applicants. The applicant must be the holder of a current PPL, NPPL or LAPL, with 100 hours total flying time of which at least 50 hours are as a pilot in command. The VAC's annual award of up to £750 towards a taildragger conversion could help you realise your dream!
