Monday 1st April 2019
Flight Lieutenant Giles Fowler, the UK’s highest flying paramotor pilot, and Paul Mockford, son of the Chairman of the Aylesbury and Halton Branch of the RAF Association Branch, will be taking to the skies in April, once weather conditions become ideal.
Their 263 mile challenge, #RAFA40, will see them fly over 40 current and former RAF stations. They aim to raise more than £1,000 for the RAF Association, the charity that supports the RAF family.
The pair’s two day trip will be split over six legs, starting from the former Bomber Command airfield at RAF Goxhill and finishing at RAF Halton in Buckinghamshire. The route will take them over Lincolnshire, Northamptonshire, Bedfordshire and Buckinghamshire.
Giles, 40, from Lowestoft, said:
“Paul and I met briefly at a flying festival, and we quickly realised we both had a connection with both paramotoring and the RAF Association, which his father Derf has been closely involved with for years.
“I wanted to attempt a challenge and raise money for something that’s close to my heart, and the RAF Association is a great charity which does so much to help active and former RAF personnel and their families.”
Paramotoring is similar to paragliding, but pilots wear a small engine and a propeller on their back, and are able to take off from flat fields instead of having to launch from hills and summits.
Giles is a serving officer in the RAF with 25 years’ flying experience, and holds the record for the highest UK paramotor flight, at 21,746ft. He also flew the longest non-stop flight in the UK, travelling 300 miles coast to coast, from former RAF Brawdy in Pembrokeshire to Beccles Airfield in Suffolk in 2017.
Giles and Paul will be assisted in their attempt by friends and fellow paramotorist enthusiasts Katie Pagett and Andy Greaves, who will offer ground support by carrying fuel, spare parts and supplies for the pilots. Once the attempt is underway the pilots and ground support crew will be trackable live at www.livetrack24.com
You can donate to #RAFA40 at: https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/rafa40 and find out more about Giles and Paul’s efforts, including their planned route, at https://www.facebook.com/RAFA40paramotor
