Our Stories

ADELAIDE BIPLANES

2 weeks ago

New Commercial Pilot Licence …. Joss Guyer

Sometimes a dream gains momentum simply by standing outside a fence and looking in.

Q: What was some of the advice you received before your test?

Joss:
“Martyn and Stewart said, ‘We think he’s ready! Call Tony!’

Gaye said, ‘Have a good steak and drink lots of water!’”

Q: How long has it been since you were standing outside the airfield boundary fence, watching and wanting?

Joss:
“2 years and 5 months!

All I knew was that there was a Flying School in there.

I remember thinking, it’s now or never!

I knew I had to be in aviation and do it. I’d do anything… sweep the floors, wash the aeroplanes!”

Q: How did you sleep the night before the test?

Joss:
“I didn’t sleep well for 3 days before!”

Q: Tell us about the test…

Joss:
“I started the Super Decathlon, then it stopped!

I said… ‘Sh*t!!’

I probably left my finger on the start button not quite long enough.

I was so nervous!

Luckily, Tony didn’t have his headset on yet!”

Q: Why choose the Super Decathlon?

Joss:
“It was definitely easier for me to do it in a Super Decathlon. I couldn’t see Tony behind me writing!”

Back at base…

When the engine stopped, we started acting like meerkats, discreetly poking our heads out to see what was happening.

While Joss was flying, FlightAware was up on the computer screen, we were all sneaking a peak as we worked, watching his flight track.

We all adopted the walk, like a lot of expectant parents!

We were checking so often that customers started asking, “What’s going on?”

So Joss’ story began to be shared on the decking over coffee .... his journey, where he started, and what this moment meant to him.

When he finally landed, every pair of eyes was on him.

Sorry Joss!

Q: A special moment afterwards?

Joss:
“Martyn shook my hand and said, ‘Well done!’

I said thank you…

Then he continued, ‘I didn’t do anything! You did it!’ ”

And that’s the thing about aviation journeys ....
People open doors ....
Encourage ....
Teach ....
Support ….

But in the end, the person who walks through that door has to do the flying. ... See MoreSee Less

ADELAIDE BIPLANES

4 weeks ago

Meet The People Who Are Part of Our Aviation Journey as a Family

Jerry Ward .... Hartford, Cheshire, UK

Story 8 of 8

Those Questions That Ended Up on the Cutting Room Floor!!

Q: Just a few more questions?

Jerry:
Are you kidding me!”

Q: My style is storytelling and genuine, hence I ask a lot of questions… my apologies, as you have to work harder than most to answer!

Jerry:
Yes, lots and lots!

Q:
Haha!!
I have just had one of those déjà vu moments!

I remember walking down the landing strip at Maltings Barn, Sussex, taking the dogs for a walk. The Barn was fairly well into restoration, because I wouldn’t have had time to walk if we were in the building phase.

We went there in 1993, so this could have been sometime between 1996 and 2000 maybe?

Silently, and very, very low, this massive aircraft went straight down our grass airstrip. It had a bulbous nose and I have often thought it looked like a Lancaster?

I remember waving like mad and seeing faces waving back at me!

Could that have been you? All those years before we even met?

Noooooo!!

Do you remember flying or positioning? It could have been June .... lots of grass, a beautiful day, flying low level towards Brighton and the South Downs.

OMG!! Yes, I know .… too hard a question!!

Jerry:
Biggin Hill Airshow was a beautiful mid-June weekend in 1996. I remember it well as we were still enjoying the airshow party on the Saturday night when, at midnight, it was my birthday!

A bit of an excuse for us to party a little longer!

We were flying early afternoon on the Sunday and were supposed to be special guests at the luncheon in a VIP marquee. Dressed in our smart black flying suits, one of us on each table to keep the guests amused.

Then, under blazing clear skies, we would do the display at Biggin, followed by flypasts at various places on the way to South Devon where we did another display, then back to Biggin for the night.

Sitting up front in a black suit, in the sunshine under a greenhouse, we were boiling!

Q: What was the registration of the Dakota or were there many? Also, the Lancaster? Maybe then, the registration of the ones that you flew down The Mall?

Jerry:
The RAF BBMF only operate one Dakota, ZA947, and the Lancaster is the only flyable one in Europe, PA474.

Q: Have you got any pictures of yourself with the Airtours crew and the aeroplane .... 757/767?

Jerry:
Yes, some of which remain classified!

Q: Have you been flying again since the Tiger Moth flight with 'Bear' and the Stearman flight with the girls?

Jerry:
No, just those two flights since my aero-medical evacuation from Cancun.

Q: Surely a hoist can get you back in the Tornado maybe?

Jerry:
There aren’t any Tornadoes left flying in the UK, but I would like the opportunity to fly in one of the many two-seat Spitfires.

Q: Which aeroplane do you miss flying the most?

Jerry:
Tricky to answer.

The Lancaster was just so special and such a privilege to fly.

The Dakota was so gentlemanly.

And with the Tornado F3, I finally found a role/job in the RAF that I seemed to be quite good at.

Q: What are some of your funniest moments in the RAF? That are printable?

Jerry:
I flew the spare aircraft for the Tornado F3 aerobatic display several times.

We were at RAF Duxford in Cambridgeshire, an old Battle of Britain field. At the end of the display routine, we briefed for me to take off and join up to go to our next event as a pair. We wanted to make as much noise as possible for the crowd.

So that I lifted off close to the centre of the display, I ignored the arrows indicating an inset runway threshold and taxied right to the end.

When I selected “combat” power, with the back of the aircraft only a few metres away from the airfield boundary, the jet blast blew the boundary fence and hedge away.

Unfortunately, just the other side of the boundary is the M11 motorway.

Motorists were faced with earth, stones and grass, along with fenceposts, fence and about 20 metres of hedge flying across the road.

The police had to close the motorway to clear the mess, but not before there was damage to more than 100 vehicles!

There is a sign to warn of low flying aircraft and sudden aircraft noise, but nothing about a privet hedge doing 300 mph across the road!

Four days later, I was on my way to the Falkland Islands as punishment.

The hedge is still missing to this day!

Q: What about in the airlines? Also printable!!

Jerry:
At the end of a few days’ stopover in Cancun, Mexico, on arrival at the airport, the handling agent said we would have a rescue chimpanzee as cargo, as well as his handler and a TV crew.

I was asked to be filmed on the ramp to check that Brian, the chimp, was comfortable in his crate.

He was then loaded into the cargo hold in the area that has supplementary heating.

I had a bet with my First Officer that I couldn’t mention Brian by name four times in my welcome PA.

The heating failed and, on arrival at Manchester, Brian was a bit like a brass monkey!

Fortunately, he was soon warmed up and is now doing well at the primate centre on the South Coast of England.

Q: Have you got any words of wisdom to help me learn to fly in India Whisky? Martyn says I am overthinking it! I need to just feel it!

Jerry:
Martyn is usually right!

Relax a little at the controls. “IW” needs a feather-light touch.

Having been so close to aviation since you first met Martyn, you are now just at the start of a new chapter in your flying journey.

Enjoy the ride!

Q: Your friendship base must now be HUGE across so many diverse professions!

Jerry:
Through being disabled and doing the charity stuff, I’ve had the opportunity to meet some wonderful people.

Many of these have become really good friends.

Q: How have your family coped with this change to your family lives?

I know for us as a family, it became ultimately imperative to survive as a family…

Jerry:
The knock on the door at 5 a.m. on a Sunday morning must have been awful.

Followed by the 11-hour flight to Cancun, not even knowing whether I would still be alive when they got there.

I then had to say to my son, “It’s OK big man, it doesn’t hurt too much.”

I hope I never have to lie to him again.

I now try to ensure that my disability doesn’t stop the family from getting on with life and I try to minimize my impact on them.

Q: Do you always raise funds for spinal injury or research, or do you choose different charities?

Jerry:
Nearly always something connected with spinal injuries, but pretty much any cause with a disability theme.

For example, Fly2help, who aim to provide flying experiences for people with all kinds of disabilities, mostly children.

Q: Is there a link to a site where donations may be made to spinal injury research that you would recommend?

www.spinal.co.uk/donate1/

Q: I think I must be a right pest!!

Jerry:
Not at all, but I wish I had the opportunity to visit Aldinga.

Q: You have definitely lived six lives!!

Jerry:
Maybe so, but I feel like I’m on borrowed time some days!

Q: So, is there life after a serious spinal-cord injury?

Jerry:
You bet there is!

Has it changed?

By so much that at times it’s hard to believe.

Would I change things if I could?

Undoubtedly, but it’s impossible to rewind the clock.

Perhaps one or two things to bear in mind though…

Remember never to volunteer for anything!
Check the small print of your life insurance policies and private medical cover.
Plan for the future but live for today and enjoy life.
I used to tell my students… “Keep checking your six o’clock”, but forgot to do it myself!

Lesson learned…

The Hard Way! ... See MoreSee Less

ADELAIDE BIPLANES

4 weeks ago

Meet The People Who Are Part of Our Aviation Journey as a Family

Jerry Ward .... Hartford, Cheshire, UK

Story 7 of 8

"Fatty Flies Again" — The Tiger Moth

Jerry’s first return to the sky took place on 11 June 2011 at RAF Halton, during the de Havilland Moth Club gathering.

Jerry tells the story:

“I did my Tiger Moth trip 11 June 2011, with my buddy Rupert ‘The Bear’, Rachel’s godfather, and the last of the Brits shot down during the Gulf War and made a POW.

After months of planning a highly classified, covert mission behind enemy lines, operation ‘Fatty Flies Again’ was ready to be implemented.

The plan was simple.

Get Jerry back into a Tiger Moth.

The reality was a little more complicated.

The Bear had assured me that the Moth Club have a hoist which they thought would be suitable for getting people with disabilities, like mine, into the aircraft, so that they too may still go flying.

I’m not sure though, that they anticipated trying to get somebody with my very high level of spinal-cord injury and huge disability into one of the Tigers!

The Tiger Moth was waiting.

The purpose made hoist was ready to pick me up and several willing helpers were on hand to try and squeeze me into the front cockpit.

I was lifted what seemed a long way up into the air, providing an excellent view over the top wing of the other aircraft on the field.

Getting settled into a Tiger Moth cockpit was not straightforward....

My legs were dangling into the cockpit and I was being pulled and pushed around various controls and other bits sticking out!"

But eventually, Jerry was in position.

Helmet on.

Intercom connected.

Ready.

“The temptation was very great to turn upside down again, but surprisingly, discretion played a big part and we flew around Buckinghamshire for a short while before it was time to return to the field."

The weather changed during the flight.

“What had started as a few dark clouds became an almost black overcast sky, and it was raining quite hard…

For those that have never flown in an open cockpit aircraft, it is rather loud!

The wind had also decided to be a little fickle around the storm clouds, and was bouncing the Tiger Moth around quite a lot.

But 'The Bear' carefully brought the Tiger Moth back to the field.

The by now wet grass was surprisingly slippery, and a Tiger Moth has no brakes!

Getting out was even more of a game than getting in ....

But in next to no time I was back in my wheelchair and ready, surprisingly for a warm drink rather than a beer!”

The Tiger Moth had answered one important question.

Jerry could still be part of the aviation world.

But Jerry was not finished.

Nearly ten years later, another idea took flight.

A bigger aircraft.

A bigger adventure.

'Fatty’s Flying Circus'!

Tell me about the background to flying in the Stearmans?

“I have known Vic Norman who owns Aerosuperbatics since my early days of taking aircraft to airshows around the UK, and also Andy Cubin since RAF training days.

Andy was my pilot on the day. He was on the Jaguar in the mid-eighties with me, he flew the Jaguar solo display, and also flew a tour of duty with the Red Arrows.

Having flown in the Tiger Moth ....

I thought it might be possible to get me in a Stearman.

We didn’t know whether our plans would work or not until the day itself.”

Fatty’s Flying Circus .... whose idea was that?

“For some very random reason, I had been talking with one of my carers about doing a wing-walk for charity…”

Then the conversation developed ....

“The second carer arrived to take over for the next shift, the two of them started chatting about it.

She said ‘I’ve always wanted to do that!’”

And then .....

“A few hours and a few phone calls/messages later, I’d hatched a plan.

I had to think of a way to make it into a fundraising plan .....

And so Fatty’s Flying Circus was born."

How on earth did you get your carers onto the wings, yikes?

“They were both ‘volunteers’ .... one rather more enthusiastically than the other, once she realised I was serious about doing it.

Then Covid got in the way."

The plan nearly disappeared.

“We’d almost given up hope of doing it, then as soon as all, or nearly all, restrictions were lifted, I resurrected the plan!”

And there was a reason behind it.

Fundraising.

“I have had massive support from several spinal injury charities, and I now try to pay them back a little.”

The result ....

“In total we raised nearly £20,000, from the Flying Circus, with many tens of thousands of pounds from all the other charity ventures Fatty’s team have completed. In the region of 100,000 pounds!”

So, what did YOU think about flying in that big girl?

Jerry the pilot answers ....

“When we first arrived at Rendcomb, an old First World War grass airfield, one of the Stearman’s was sitting in the sunshine looking very smart in its bright orange livery, with big bouncy tyres.”

Then the technical assessment ....

“At the time I didn’t realise they were all the ‘full-fat’ versions of the aircraft.”

And ....

“The American approach to a basic trainer, throw a great big 450 bhp radial engine at it, gas was cheap, who cares about fuel consumption!”

The verdict:

“The performance through basic aerobatics was effortless.”

www.facebook.com/watch/?v=649234779351810&rdid=LWHRUu1Gi0lw4Kpr

My thoughts .... Assembling these stories with Jerry has broadened my understanding on just what has happened, all of these incredible moments unfolding, I am genuinely in awe.

Not just of what Jerry has achieved, but of what happens when people have an idea, believe it is possible, and then gather the right people around them to make it happen.

Aviation has always been about teamwork.

The pilot may be in the cockpit, but every flight depends on the many people behind the scenes who make it possible.

What amazes me most about Jerry’s story is that so many of these adventures started with a thought ....

“Could we?”

And instead of stopping at the obstacles, Jerry and his friends asked ....

“How do we?”

Then they made it happen.

It reminded me of two old vintage quotes that I have had sign-written on an old fingerpost and fixed to our Adelaide Biplanes office wall.

The first one says ....

“Do not go where the path may lead, go instead where there is no path and leave a trail.”

And on the other side of the finger post .....

“No-one can predict to what height you can soar, even you will not know until you spread your wings.”

I think Jerry’s story, and the stories of all the people who have been part of his journey, show exactly that.

The path was never going to be straightforward.

The challenges were real.

But new paths were created.

New memories were made.

And, eventually, Jerry found a way back to the sky.

www.facebook.com/jerry.ward.92372446

With all my love Gaye, Mart, family and all The Team at Adelaide Biplanes, Adelaide, South Australia xxxx ... See MoreSee Less

ADELAIDE BIPLANES

4 weeks ago

Meet The People Who Are Part of Our Aviation Journey as a Family

Jerry Ward .... Hartford, Cheshire, UK

Story Part 6 of 8

Jerry Makes His Escape ....

"I wasn’t allowed to attend the 65th Anniversary of the Dam Busters Raid in the Derwent Valley, but with huge help from family and friends I was able to take part in the Great Manchester 10k run, that has come to be known as ....

'Fatty’s Big Push!'

Although beating the wife still looked unlikely, we were escorted by a member of the hospital nursing staff (Sarah), who thought that she was coming out for a stroll around Manchester.

However, the pushing team got a bit carried away and went through the first kilometre in 6 minutes and 30 seconds.

Sorry Sarah!

We were supposed to do a TV interview half-way round, but ran straight past the crew waiting at the side of the course.

Fortunately though, there was a big reception committee at the end, including my old friend Hazel Irvine from the BBC.

My friends still don’t know how I managed to get a kiss from Hazel live on TV.

A supersonic flight in a Tornado raising funds for Children In Need may have been a contributory factor!"

The nickname 'Fatty' has come from Jerry’s daughter Rachel, when she was a teenager .... and somehow it stayed.

What started as a family joke became something much bigger.

'Fatty’s Big Push' became a way of raising awareness and funds for spinal injury causes, and it has now become a regular part of Jerry’s story.

But it was not just about the event itself.

It was about being back amongst people.

Family ..... Friends.

The aviation community.

The world outside hospital.

The months that followed brought more opportunities.

Jerry continued his rehabilitation and began making longer trips out.

There were visits to the pub, lunch in the Peak District with work colleagues, visits back to the airport offices and trips home to see how the house adaptations were progressing.

And then came a new piece of equipment.

Thanks to the generosity of BALPA, (British Airline Pilots Association), the RAF Benevolent Fund and GAPAN (The Guild of Air Pilots and Air Navigators), Jerry received an electric wheelchair complete with "all the toys”.

But this was not just any wheelchair.

It came fitted with an Airbus side-stick controller.

For Jerry, it was more like a new aircraft type.

A conversion course was required.

“Needless to say I ignored the rules and did a little self driving, including high speed taxi trials and reversing out of tight spots trying not to get caught in the process.”

The evidence?

“The tyre squeal is sometimes a bit of a giveaway.”

And once the weather improved ....

“I tested its range to the pub!”

There were still setbacks.

Including the infamous 'Arry the Alien' complication, which meant another difficult period in hospital.

"We all hoped that it wouldn’t be a leakage of fluid from my spinal cord, to the site of my spinal pump, as the risk of infection was huge.

When Arry was first removed by having an aspiration operation, the lab analysis confirmed it was cerebrospinal fluid.

Various consultants around the world were contacted, but none had ever encountered a similar kind of problem.

Just my luck!

Repair schemes were suggested by many different people, including myself, but most of these were quickly discounted .... especially mine!

Four long months, mostly in ICU, lying on my back finally ended with a second operation in January 2009.

Thankfully, this time it worked and the pump is doing ....

Exactly what it says on the tin!"

But Jerry’s life was no longer only about hospitals and treatment.

He was collecting new experiences. New memories.

New adventures.

And one question was beginning to emerge.

If Jerry could adapt a wheelchair with an Airbus-style controller ....

Could he find a way back into an aircraft?

The answer would involve another plan.

Another team.

Plus ....

A Tiger Moth .... then, if that was not enough of a challenge!

Followed up and away by ....

3 aerobatic Stearmans ....

Story 7 of 8 ....

'Fatty Flies Again' .... ... See MoreSee Less