On Monday 27th July, six Cubs and five Scouts headed off for an action-packed evening at Compton Abbas Airfield (owned by film director Guy Ritchie).
Organised by Peter Barham—ground crew for Aero Legends vintage aircraft—our young aviation enthusiasts were split into three groups for hands-on learning:
- The Physics of Flight: Aero Legends pilot Matt Smith explained the four forces of flight, how aircraft stay in the air, and the main components of a plane.
- In the Cockpit: Nigel Oates, manager of Compton Flying Training, explained how the airfield was run before giving the group a turn sitting inside a Piper PA28 Warrior to test out the flight controls!
- Hangar Tour: Peter led a tour of the Aero Legends hangar, showcasing incredible aircraft like the T6 Harvard and classic Tiger Moths (even if the resident Spitfire was away for maintenance).
The kids asked fantastic questions throughout and had a brilliant time exploring the airfield.
Badge Update: This visit ticked off a huge 80% of the Air Activities Stage 2 Badge! To complete the staged badge, the Cubs just need to build an aircraft out of recycled materials—which we will be doing in our upcoming autumn term sessions!
A massive thank you to Peter, Matt, Nigel, and leaders Nick Nugent and Sharon Sheard for making such a memorable trip happen.
