Hilda Hewlett Centenary Celebrations

	Centenary Celebrations 100 years of British Women Pilots, 1911-2011
	August 29th 1911 was the date on which the first British woman received her Pilot’s Licence, certificate number 122. That woman, Hilda Hewlett, was a remarkable woman. With her business partner the mother-of-two set up a flying school at Brooklands motor-racing circuit in Surrey in 1910, and a certain Thomas Sopwith had his first pilot’s lesson there. It was the first flying school in England to "graduate a full-fledged pilot and the first to graduate an army-officer pilot" and it was there that she gained her licence in August 1911 at the age of 47 and where she taught her son to fly later that year - the first (and possibly only) time a British military pilot has been trained by his mother! The business partners went on to build aircraft for the Royal Aircraft Factory and trained women to build the planes during World War I. Although Hilda Hewlett is a role model for women today in so many ways the BWPA will be promoting Hilda’s achievement in August 1911 primarily as a celebration of the active participation of British women in aviation for over a hundred years. The BWPA will be concentrating their celebrations in the period August 18th-29th, the 18th being the date Hilda passed her flight test, and culminating in a nationwide ‘Women in the Air’ day on August 29th, Bank Holiday Monday, the date she received her licence. Centenary Celebration Events August 20th-21st - Education Weekend In conjunction with the Education Centre at Brooklands Museum in Surrey, the BWPA will be running two days of talks and workshops in the Museum on August 20th-21st to give the general public an idea of what it is like to be a pilot. Male or female, recreational or professional, powered or non-powered, fixed wing or rotary, heavier-than-air or lighter-than-air – whatever! The event will be opened at 10.40 on Saturday 20th by the well-known actress and Brooklands Trustee Penelope Keith. There will be a BWPA stand in the Wellington Hangar and Centenary Teas will be on sale in the café as Hilda, a vicar’s daughter, was a firm believer that a good Tea was key to any serious celebration. Brooklands has offered to bring its Voisin aircraft out of storage as a static display for us as it is of a similar vintage to the Farman III that Hilda learned to fly. Visitors in period costume will be very welcome! August 29th - Women in the Air Day, Bank Holiday Monday (Sunday 28th in Scotland) August 29th, Bank Holiday Monday is a golden opportunity to be out there flying – weather permitting – and the plan is to get as many airfields, flying schools and clubs involved in a nationwide ‘Women in the Air’ day on that day as possible. The BWPA has produced a “‘Women in the Air’ day – how to get involved” poster to promote the day, copies of which can be downloaded from the website. Over 260 flying schools and clubs up and down the country have been invited to take part and the list of airfields, flying schools and aero clubs that have told us what they are planning to do to celebrate the day is growing but there is plenty of room for more! Scottish organisations advise that August 29th is not a Bank Holiday in Scotland so they are holding their events on Sunday 28th instead. If your club or flying group is not on the list below, why not ask them what they plan to do and let us know so we can add them to the list. Don’t forget, if they enter our Challenge and turn out to be the organisation that flies the most women on the day, they get a free advert on the back of all four issues of our newsletter next year! Entry forms can be downloaded through this link: Women in the Air Day challenge and entry form Participants in the Women in the Air Day August 28th and 29th Aerosaurus Balloons Ltd www.ballooning.co.uk Arranging a spread of hot air balloon flights across the South West to celebrate the day Bidford Gliding and Flying Club www.bidfordglidingandflyingclub.co.uk Buckminster Gliding Club, Saltby Airfield Granthamwww.buckminstergc.co.uk Reduced rate winch-launched glider flights for women and girls on the day Parachute drop by female jumpers from a female-piloted jump plane Fun activities for children, bar and catering facilities Cornwall Flying Club, Bodmin www.cornwallflyingclub.com Fun Club day, fancy dress encouraged! Fife Flying Club, near Glenrothes Scotland (Sunday 28th)www.fifeflyingclub.co.uk Female instructors giving tuition / trial flights Various members taking females for passenger flights Sponsored female parachute jump Waived landing fees for any aircraft with a female onboard Hampshire Microlight Club, Colemoor Common, Petersfield www.hmfclub.com Tour of the Hampshire/Wiltshire area by female members Hull Aero Club, Beverley Airfield (Linley Hill)www.hullaeroclub.co.uk Free landings and hospitality for women visitors between August 18th-29th PPR on 01964 544994 Manchester Barton www.cityairportltd.com Free landings for women on the day, including home-based students North London Flying Club, Panshanger www.northlondonflyingschool.com Free landings for women on the day Real Aeroplane Club, Breighton www.realaero.com Fly-in to Breighton Airfield on the day with free landings for women Scottish Gliding Centre, Portmoak, Nr Kinross (Sunday 28th) www.scottishglidingcentre.com Reduced rate glider trial flights Gliding simulator Aviation history display Sherburn Aero Club, Sherburn in Elmet www.sherburn-aero-club.org.uk ‘Hilda Hewlett Day’ – British Women Fliers Celebration Free landings for women on the day Free t-shirts and meal vouchers Various competitions Local media coming along to report on activities Stapleford Flying Club, Stapleford Airfield www.flysfc.com Extend your weekend - free landings for women visitors on Saturday 27th August Wellesbourne Airfield www.wellesbourneairfield.com Participating organisations: Aeros Flight Training HeliAir On-Track South Warwickshire Flying School Take Flight Aviation West London Aero Club, White Waltham www.wlac.co.uk Free landings for women throughout August Ladies Flying Day on August 29th with: Aerobatic display between 13.30-14.00 Tea on the lawn/in the clubhouse 15.00-17.00 Wiltshire Microlight Centre, Yatesbury www.wiltsmicrolights.com Free landings for women – Microlights only Free refreshments Download Participants pdf: ParticipantsInWomenInTheAirDay.pdf Download Century of Achievement leaflet: CenteryOfAchievement.pdf Information on the event requested from: Bagby Airfield www.bagby-airfield.co.uk Cotswold Gliding Club, Aston Down www.cotswoldgliding.co.uk Yorkshire Gliding Club, Sutton Bank www.ygc.co.uk Other Events: The Royal Aeronautical Society’s Women in Aviation and Aerospace Conference, ‘From Pioneers to Presidents: Celebrating a Century of Flight’, is at 4 Hamilton Place on Friday October 14th If you know of other events or would like us to publicise your centenary celebration details send them to us at info@bwpa.co.uk

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