Former Army Air Corps pilot helps limbless veterans gain engineering experience and raises money for military charity
31 July 2014
The Gazelle Military Helicopter Trust has been set up to restore Gazelle helicopters that have been retired from active service all over the world and use them to teach veterans how to restore aircraft and fly them.
The project is the brainchild of Marc Le Gresley, the civilian Chief Flying Instructor of The Army Flying Association (AFA). He previously served in the Army Air Corps as a pilot flying Gazelle and Lynx helicopters and is now the Display Team leader of the Gazelle Squadron Display Team.
The Trust has brought in eight Blesma Members to help restore ‘Gladys’, a Gazelle AH1 helicopter used by the Royal Marines and the Royal Navy throughout her 40 year service, including during Operation Telic (Iraq 2003). The Blesma Members have been working voluntarily at Bourne Park with Falcon Aviation, the company that maintains the AFA’s training aircraft. Falcon Aviation have generously sponsored the rebuild of Gladys, at the same time giving Blesma Members the opportunity to work as part of a team and the possibility even to gain Aeronautical Engineering NVQ Level 2 accreditation.
The team have four ex-military Westland Gazelle helicopters, two of which they have been taking to air shows this year for a static display where team members, including the Blesma Members, also collect donations for Blesma. To date they have raised around £3,000. The team are hoping to build up to a four-aircraft flying display routine for next year.
Marc says: “To help educate and train veterans in aircraft restoration skills and to give them flying experiences has been amazingly rewarding. Two of the Blesma Members with us have also been helped back into civilian employment as a result of the project. We have already been successful on many levels and we look forward to taking that success forward with Blesma.”
Barry Le Grys, Chief Executive at Blesma says: “This is a project with unique character. It is about Members working together to completely rebuild an iconic helicopter. It is not a project driven by some large institution; it is driven by the small crew of the Gazelle Military Helicopter Trust to whom we are thankful, and Members, all with a passion for a project that promotes team work, confidence building, skills development, and will one day be a complete helicopter display team, all from wreckage.”
Blesma, The Limbless Veterans is the national charity for all limbless service men and women, their widows and dependants. It was formed in the years following the First World War and became a national charity in 1932.
For a full list of where the Gazelle Squadron Display Team are on show, please go to: www.thegazellesquadron.com/events
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Notes to Editor
Hi-res images can be downloaded from the links below:
(L-R) Marc Le Gresley with Blesma Members Chris Hawes and Andy Phillips: /media/161722/Marc-Chris-Andy.png
Gazelles on display:
About Blesma, The Limbless Veterans
Blesma, The Limbless Veterans is the national charity for all limbless serving and ex-service men and women, their widows and dependants. It is a membership organisation which helps wounded service men and women rebuild their lives by providing rehabilitation activities and welfare support. Their membership includes those who have lost the use of a limb, an eye or the sight of an eye.
Blesma was formed in the years following the First World War and became a national charity in 1932. Blesma today has over 4000 Members and widows. The membership consists of men and women who have served during the Second World War and the many subsequent conflicts and peacekeeping operations since, including the Falklands, Northern Ireland, Iraq and Afghanistan.
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For further information on Blesma, The Limbless Veterans, contact
Bryony Stevens, Media and Communications Assistant
T: 020 8590 1124
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