A UNIQUE CALENDAR

A unique concept in calendars will be launched in 2006 called "Faces from the Blue". This will be the first to focus on current Warbird pilots themselves. As well as introducing the pilots directly to the public, it will also raise money and awareness for two very worthy aviation charities, which Faces from the Blue are very keen to support; The Royal International Air Tattoo Flying Scholarships for the Disabled and The Mark Hanna Surgical Research Fellowship. The entire profits of the calendar’s sold will go to the charities.

The calendar is the idea of Sarah Pepper, who is the Air Display Co-ordinator for Historic Aircraft Collection and Jon Johnston, who has a long association with historic aircraft and the pilots who look after them. More recently he formed a company called ‘aeroframe’.

Among the Duxford based pilots who have agreed to appear in the 2006 Calendar are John Romain, Cliff Spink, Rod Dean, Charlie Brown, Clive Denney, Guy Black, Stuart Goldspink, Pete Kynsey, Anna Walker, Jeanne Frazer, Carolyn Grace, Lee Proudfoot and Ray Hanna.

Only 2000 copies of the calendar have been produced, each individually numbered, with the first 100 copies signed by all the featured pilots.

"Faces from the Blue" is being sponsored by IWC (International Watch Co.), "Aerojumbles UK", and has also had tremendous support from the Imperial War Museum Duxford, “Shepherd Neame Ltd”, the brewers of Spitfire beer, "Spitfire Luxury", Swiss company producing Spitfire-branded luxury items, “AMP” entertainment and production company, The Aviation Bookshop and Flypast magazine. DeltaWeb have helped by producing this site, and the Army Air Corps Helicopter Display Team, The Blue Eagles, have been very supportive.

The Royal International Air Tattoo inaugurated the charity Flying Scholarships for the Disabled (FSD) in 1982 as a living memorial to the indomitable spirit of Group Capital Sir Douglas Bader who despite losing both legs in an air accident resumed his flying career and went on to achieve fame in World War II as a fighter pilot.

FSD is a charity dedicated to helping disabled people discover their true potential, through the mental and physical stimulation of learning to fly a light aircraft. The challenges they tackle, and overcome, in doing this helps them rise above difficulties in their personal lives and enables them to face the future with greater confidence.

The Mark Hanna Surgical Research Fellowship funds a surgical research fellowship at The Blond McIndoe Centre. The Blond McIndoe Centre was established in 1961 having been spearheaded by Sir Archibald McIndoe, the famous plastic surgeon who did so much for badly burned aircrews of WWII. Mark Hanna, himself a well known display pilot with The Old Flying Machine Company and friend to all the pilots participating in the calendar, was tragically killed in 1999 following an appalling aeroplane accident; he never recovered from severe burns caused by the ensuing fire. The fellowship was established as a fitting tribute to this accomplished, intelligent and compassionate man so that his name and memory will live on to benefit others.