27/07/2008 by Mr Shoe Wingtips.

Freedom in the Air’s final day with carers from Spurgeons and Bedfordshire County Council Rural Communities Charity. In this slideshow, we get to hear from an instructor, senior carers and of course the bubbly and adventurous younger carers.

Young carers are children and young people who are the main carers of a sick or disabled parent or sibling. Estimates of the number of young carers in the UK vary between 15,000 and 50,000. Read the rest of this entry »

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23/07/2008 by Mr Shoe Wingtips.

A very good friend of mine Marcus who i went to school with has just published his first book, Who is Charlie keeper. Marcus is one of those extremely talented and gifted people who lives life to the max, and when i say to max i really mean to the max. He was my guardian angel at school and tended to look after me. Here is some info about his new book.

You can check out all the details, jacket blurb, artwork and sample chapters on the site http://www.whoischarliekeeper.com/

Read the rest of this entry »

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21/07/2008 by Mr Shoe Wingtips.

It has been ages since i enjoyed picnic in the park with friends. My Harry and his lovely girlfriend Mira celebrated their birthday on Parliament Hill on Saturday. My friend came up from the country to join in on the festivities. I liked the spot as i could watch aeroplanes turn onto finals to land on Heathrow rwy 27 from where we sat. Today, i took Paul flying on a local vfr flight around Cranfield for just over an hour. Paul was the very first person who came flying with me years ago when i had a trial lesson at Sywell. It was great to take him flying now i am a qualified pilot.

Harry works for an amazing creative photographic magazine and gallery called FOTO8 and Host Gallery. It is run by one of the nicest person that i have met in a while called Jon. Check their online gallery. I am unable to go to their summer show tomorrow as i am giving a talk to the Redbridge Rotary Club.

Posted in People, Fun Flying | Print | 1 Comment »

29/06/2008 by Mr Shoe Wingtips.

I never thought that i would be going back to the City of Joy so soon without my mother. Yesterday, i saw my grandfather who spent hi birthday with me at Cranfield Airport. I am glad i got to do that before i leave for India. As a present, i secretly arranged a special flying lesson to take him over his house and the area where he lived with my grandmother.

It does feel scary to be going back to Kolkata. I really do not know how i will react, but i feel i must return. I would love to go back to the city of my birth with my mother, sister and grandfather, but that trip will have to wait. for now i am going back on a voyage of personal discovery.

During the week, i have been nicely distracted with work i have been doing with bands at glastonbury music festival, freedom wings and seeing really good friends who i wanted to see before i left. Alongside all this activity, i have been reading really interesting documents about my past, the adoption process and it has surprised me. It took so much work to organise the adoption.

Not really sure what else to say - waiting for my taxi, it is a dark grey morning, weather forecast in Kolkata is rain, thunder and not very nice, spoke to the missionaries of charity sister christie just now - converting music for my mp3 player - having the right to listen to whilst meandering around the city will be helpful

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17/06/2008 by Mr Shoe Wingtips.

Gautam Lewis will photograph the locations of his early childhood in Kolkata, India for a London photo exhibit coinciding with World Polio Day: 24 October.

The exhibit, entitled “Full Circle” will focus on Rotary’s worldwide efforts to eradicate polio, and will feature Gautam’s story, as a polio survivor from London who traveled to his birthplace of India to immunize children against the disease.

“Full Circle” will include a mix of Gautam’s childhood photos juxtaposed with new photos he takes in Kolkata. It will also include photos of Gautam immunizing children against polio by photographer Jean-Marc Giboux, interspersed with Jean-Marc’s photos of children being immunized in remote regions of Afghanistan, Pakistan, and India.

Full Circle exhibition will run between Oct 13th – 19th 2008 at the Menier Gallery, London.

Posted in Rotary International, Disability news, People, images, Music | Print | No Comments »

14/06/2008 by Mr Shoe Wingtips.

During the week, I went to meet Sebastian Pooley and his Cousin James Bailey at their Elstree base. I had hoped to fly there as it would have been very cool to fly to a meeting for the first time. Elstree is not what i expected. There are a lot of GA aircraft there and it is hidden away down some country lanes, surrounded by lots of trees. It was nice to meet Sebastian and James who between them seem to run Pooleys incredibly well. We discussed many things including ideas for doing things together in the future.

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12/06/2008 by Mr Shoe Wingtips.

One women in aviation who i deeply admire is called Suzi Duncan. She lives in Melbourne, Australia and is herself a pilot with lower limb disability. She is also a flying instructor and an inventor. She designed the Vision air hand control which helps pilots with lower limb disabilities to operate the rudder and ground steering of a PA28. We have become friends and she has helped me and mentors me with my flying. She helped set up Wheelies with Wings in Australia, visit their site…

Posted in inspiring, People, Hand Controls, Film, History | Print | No Comments »

02/06/2008 by Mr Shoe Wingtips.

This article is by Kelly Armstrong who flew with Gautam Lewis, on January 27, 2008 EGTC - EGTC, 3 circuits and local Visual Flight Rules flight (VFR)

It is a crisp sunny Sunday afternoon that will see me taken up into the skies by newly qualified and keen-as-mustard pilot, Gautham Lewis. I will be his second charge since those wings were earned and look forward to experiencing first hand the fruition of many months of hard graft.

We approach Cranfield Airport – an airstrip in Northampton that has long swapped its spitfires and bombers for less deadly machines – and make our way through a series of former military barracks, set in neat little rows, buildings that now house students studying aerospace engineering.

Cranfield has rather a cosy feel to it, a sharp contrast to the overbearing and fortified nature of international airports. Once past the security gate, Read the rest of this entry »

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26/05/2008 by Mr Shoe Wingtips.

On May 22nd 2008, Brian Catchpole went Solo. CONGRATULATIONS Brain, you really deserve to have this special feeling all student pilots get when flying solo for the first time. The strongest memory i have from my solo flight is the great sense of achievement and freedom - my report from that day can be read here..

I first met Brian when we were shortlisted for the Flying Scholarship for the disabled selection board at RAF Cranwell. Neither Brian or myself were selected for the flying scholarship and we have not given up our dream Read the rest of this entry »

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22/05/2008 by Mr Shoe Wingtips.

Drawing from some of the most pivotal points in his life, Steve Jobs, chief executive officer and co-founder of Apple Computer and of Pixar Animation Studios, urged graduates to pursue their dreams and see the opportunities in life’s setbacks– including death itself–

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19/05/2008 by Mr Shoe Wingtips.

It was over a year ago when i first called Stan to say how much i liked what he was trying to do with Aviation Without Borders. Since then I have become heavily involved with this meaningful organisation and i hope to become a trustee very soon. i interviewed Stan for our Question in the Air section, if you have yet to read it, do take a read of his enlightening interview…. 

This slideshow is of me, Stan and Adrian at Brooklands reuniting Stan with his old CV10…. 

Captain Stanley Stewart, VC10 VB, VM, 747 - Click here for the most popular videos

Read the rest of this entry »

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14/05/2008 by Mr Shoe Wingtips.

Rotary UK and Ireland invited Gautam Lewis to be a speaker at their annual conference in Blackpool, April 2008 , to talk about polio eradication. Felt great to have had the opportunity to speak about something close to his heart…sky’s the limit!

Part 1

Rotary UK & Eire Gautam Lewis Freedom in Air Speech Part 1 - The most amazing videos are a click away

Part 2

Freedom in the Air ; A Polio Survivors Tale - Funny blooper videos are here

Posted in Disability news, Rotary International, People, Good causes, Film, History | Print | 1 Comment »

09/05/2008 by Mr Shoe Wingtips.

My good friend Barry Cardno who i met over a year ago has been flying in New Zealand for over 10 years. After surviving a plane crash, Barry got himself back into the Pilot in command seat of an aeroplane. We interviewed him for our questions in the air section - take a read of his interview.Barry wants to promote aviation for people with disabilities in NZ and we have created an alliance and a synergy to develop Freedom in the Air in the UK and NZ.  We are currently constructing our website but in the meantime we have a holding page which can be viewed here…Freedom in the Air  

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