100 microlights to fly length of Tyne for Streetwise
Melanie May | 16 April 2018 | News
One hundred microlights – the largest number ever – will fly the length of the River Tyne this May in aid of Streetwise.
Fly The Tyne, in aid of North East charity Streetwise and sponsored by intu, will see the microlights take to the sky for a display above the city on Saturday 26 May 2018.
The charity event is the brainchild of Mandy Coppin, CEO of Streetwise who is one of a handful of female flexwing pilots in the country. As part of the event, Fly the Tyne is auctioning 15 exclusive seats to fly with the pilots and experience the North East from a completely different perspective. Seats are available to the top 15 bidders with all money raised to be donated to Streetwise.
Newcastle Air Traffic Control will navigate the 100 microlights (fixed, flexwing and gyrocopters) through their controlled airspace, with each pilot taking off from Eshott Airfield near Morpeth in 30 second intervals. The 110-mile route will take each aircraft west towards Hallington Reservoir, then south towards Chester le Street, before flying low level over the Angel of the North. They will then head towards Newcastle city centre, and fly over the Tyne Bridge and down the River Tyne towards Tynemouth, then back north along the coast to land back at Eshott.
Coppin said:
“Fly The Tyne made its debut in 2016, which saw 42 microlights take part in a flypass along the River Tyne, this year the event is expected to be even bigger and better with more than double taking to the sky.
“The aim of Fly The Tyne is to raise awareness and celebrate the thousands of young people from the North East who have changed their lives with the help of projects like Streetwise.
“Many local businesses help support projects like Streetwise, and events like Fly The Tyne aid in shining a spotlight on their support and passion too. Flying with the pilots is a great opportunity to see your business, home and city from the air and really will be a once in a lifetime experience for those involved.”
Bidding for the seats starts at £500 and the top 15 pledges will be allocated a seat to fly with the fleet. People can contact fl********@gm***.com to request a bidding form with the closing date for all bids Saturday 19 May and the top 15 bidders contacted on Sunday 20 May 2018.
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About Melanie May
Melanie May is a journalist and copywriter specialising in writing both for and about the charity and marketing services sectors since 2001. She can be reached via thepurplepim.com.