Royal Aero Club Award for competition pilot Gerald Cooper

Lincolnshire-based air display and competition pilot Gerald Cooper was awarded The Britannia Trophy by The Royal Aero Club (RAeC) at a prestigious awards event in London this week (Tuesday 23rd April).  Gerald Cooper was presented the award for the most meritorious performance in aviation during the year.

Sir Michael Alcock GCB KBE presents Gerald Cooper with The Britannia Trophy
Photo credit: Martin Gammon RAeC

The British Aerobatic Association (BAeA) nominated Gerald Cooper for The Britannia Trophy in recognition of becoming the first ever Brit to win a Gold medal in freestyle aerobatic competition and upholding the British National Aerobatic Champion title for the fourth consecutive year. 

Alan Cassidy, Chairman of the BAeA commented: “Gerald Cooper became British National Aerobatic Champion for the first time in 2009 and has not since been beaten in domestic competition.

“Gerald won an individual bronze medal in the World Advanced Aerobatic Championships in 2003 and graduated to the National Unlimited Aerobatic Team in 2004. Since then, Gerald has represented the United Kingdom in the highest levels of aerobatic competition.

"In September 2012, Gerald flew as part of the British Team at the European Aerobatic Championships and won the Gold medal and title of European Freestyle Aerobatic Champion, beating 22 other pilots in the final rankings of the Freestyle competition.

"This exceptional performance is the first time that a British pilot has won a Gold medal in a major Unlimited aerobatic competition. It is especially worthy of note in the light of the significant state funding received by some other competitors, while the British effort remains largely self-supported.

"If you are surprised that you had not heard this news before, in the general media, it was achieved on the last day of the London 2012 Paralympic Games, when Andy Murray also won the US Open Tennis Championships. Column inches went elsewhere.”

The RAeC Awards date back to 1908 and recognise achievement in aviation. The Historical List of RAeC Awards includes several of the most famous names in British and World aviation. Gerald Cooper joins such names as The Red Arrows, The British Microlight Team and Paul Bonhomme. 

Gerald is known for his imaginative freestyle routine choreographed to demonstrate the art of precision flying necessary to succeed at the top end of Unlimited competition aerobatics.  By performing a combination of high-speed, animated gyroscopic figures in a new high performance monoplane XtremeAir XA41, Gerald demonstrates why he is currently ranked seventh in the world for competition aerobatics. 

This year will again see him attending many air sports competitions, air shows and private events across the globe.  Gerald attracts extensive exposure and publicity and feels a great responsibility to present a strong image for British aviation. 

Gerald also participates in TV documentaries worldwide and is a regular on the Sky Sports channel as well as frequently being featured in sports flying and commercial flying magazines.  In his spare time Gerald provides training and coaching for the British Advanced Aerobatic Team as well as many individual pilots looking to progress in aerobatics.

Gerald Cooper is also a Partner of One Sky Aviation, an engineering business providing aircraft maintenance as well as the manufacture of Thruster microlights.  Through One Sky Aviation Gerald Cooper organises the annual Wickenby Wings and Wheels Airshow taking place on 15-16 June this year raising money for the Lincolnshire Air Ambulance and RAF Association.

For more details visit www.geraldcooper.com or contact Gerald Cooper at One Sky Aviation on Tel: 01673 885083 or via email: gerald@onesky.co.uk

For more information on The Royal Aero Club visit www.royalaeroclub.org/raechome.htm
                                                          
Ends..

For media enquiries on Gerald Cooper please contact:
Samantha Williams, Director, REVVED UP COMMUNICATIONS
T: 01233 756179 or M: 07972 888 174 Email: pr@revvedupcommunications.co.uk

Ref: 130426OS

Students reach for the skies as Apache visits The Bourne Academy

Students at The Bourne Academy in Bournemouth looked onwards and upwards on the 4^th October when an Apache helicopter from 673 Squadron Army Air Corps made a very special landing on the Academy sports field.  Engineering is one of the Academy’s specialisms and the visit was designed to inspire more students into a career in engineering as there is a growing demand for more apprentices and engineers in industry.

Bourne Academy Engineering student, Hannah Booth, aged 15 said: “Today has been truly amazing and inspiring for me and my fellow students. I am passionate about creating and manufacturing. Engineering is where I see my future and nothing will stand in my way.”

The Apache aircraft is without a doubt the very best of British, they are made by AgustaWestland in Yeovil, powered by Rolls-Royce engines and many of the components on board are designed and built in Britain.   

Will Storey, Head of Engineering at The Bourne Academy said: “The Apache aircraft is at the cutting edge of engineering excellence; the combination of onboard technology, electronics, aerodynamics and communications ensure that it remains at the forefront of UK military capability. Likewise, we want The Bourne Academy engineering students to aspire to be the very best and shape the future of engineering in the UK.

We are already developing our own engineering excellence; over the past year the Academy’s Engineering Team, the Bourne Engineers, guided by their teachers built and raced their own electric car – The Bourne Bullet.  They have successfully entered the Greenpower South West regional qualifiers at Merryfield and have won best newcomers and are set to qualify for the finals at Goodwood Motor Circuit in October.”

Richard Youngs, Director of Business Strategy, ex-Apache Squadron Commander and Instructor said: “When Bourne Academy’s brand new £10 million Sixth Form opens in September 2013 our students will have the opportunity to continue their education as well as build meaningful links with employers.   

"We aim to build on the success of the Academy and develop strong relationships with the commercial world so that we can provide high quality, motivated and employable business leaders of the future.”

Ends..

For more information about The Bourne Academy please contact:   

Jackie Phillipson or Richard Blunderfield, P-PR Media Solutions   

Tel: 07740611147 or Email: jackie@p-pr.co.uk