A bird’s eye view of St Albans was enjoyed by students at a local secondary school after a visit from a Gazelle Army Corp helicopter.
Students from Samuel Ryder Academy (SRA) were invited to take flight in the helicopter flown by Captain Dave Macklin which landed on the playing field.
The Vicar of St Luke’s, the Rev Mark Slater, had also been due to go up in the helicopter to bless the school and the parish from above but time was not on his side and he will now fly at a later date.
The visit was arranged with the help of one of the SRA primary school parents who was in the army at Sandhurst and was part of a careers programme for secondary students in Year 11 onwards.
The event also tied in with the work that the primary students had been doing about helicopters the week before as part of National Science Week.
Year 11 student, Robert Nae, who listened to a careers talk given by Capt Macklin and also went up in the helicopter said:
“The talk gave a clear insight into the various roles and career paths available within the Army Air Corps and Captain Macklin provided personal experiences to bring his career to life.
“The helicopter flight was amazing! I think it was incredible the way the helicopter travelled so far in such a short space of time. The ride was smooth. A truly unforgettable experience.”
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here