The Air League trust is delighted to announce the names of the individuals who have been awarded flying, gliding, and engineering scholarships and bursaries in 2021.
The Air League aims to inspire, enable, and support the next generation of aviation and aerospace professionals from any background across the United Kingdom, and over the past decade, scholarships worth over £2 million have been allocated. In 2021, over 90 awards worth over £120,000 have been allocated to aspiring individuals throughout the entire UK.
The Air League is deeply indebted to the sponsors of the scholarships and bursaries who generously provide continuing support for the flying and engineering awards. The important air education work of the Trust and its mission to change lives through aviation would not be possible without this support.
In 2021 seven scholarships in total have been awarded (one full PPL and six additional 5-hour scholarships) to current or past of members of the Air Training Corps to commemorate the seven decades of Patronage the Duke of Edinburgh bestowed to the Air League.
The Prince Philip Flying Scholarship was established in 2002 following a fundraising banquet held at Mansion House to mark 50 years of Patronage for the Duke of Edinburgh. The Scholarship is awarded to a previous flying scholar who has displayed outstanding potential and allows the individual who is member of the Air Training Corps and who also holds a Duke of Edinburgh Award to achieve their full private pilot’s licence.
The Air League has awarded the 2021 full PPL Prince Philip Flying Scholarship to Venessa Njoki.
Venessa was born in Kenya and moved to the UK aged 7. She attended 393 (Finchley) Sqn RAF Air Cadets for five years where she completed her Gold, Silver and Bronze Duke of Edinburgh award.
Coincidentally, in 2016 aged 15 she attended the Air League’s Annual Reception and was part of the contingent of cadets, along with the then Chief of the Air Staff, Sir Andrew Pulford and Commandant Air Cadets, Air Commodore Dawn McCafferty to collect the Air League’s Founders’ Medal from the Duke of Edinburgh, which was awarded to the Royal Air Force Air Cadets, in recognition of its 75 years of service.
In 2020, she aged out as a Cadet Warrant Officer and was subsequently commissioned to continue her adult service as a Pilot Officer, where she is also a D of E assessor. She is currently working as a health care assistant and is planning a career within aviation or aerospace.
| 2021 Flying Scholarships | |
| Sponsor or Award | Recipient |
| The Prince Philip Flying Scholarship Full PPL | Venessa Njoki |
| The Prince Philip Flying Scholarship 5 hour | James Jarman |
| The Prince Philip Flying Scholarship 5 hour | Charlotte Cropper |
| The Prince Philip Flying Scholarship 5 hour | Alec Baldwin |
| The Prince Philip Flying Scholarship 5 hour | Chad Davies |
| The Prince Philip Flying Scholarship 5 hour | Suraj Chavda |
| The Prince Philip Flying Scholarship 5 hour | Tabitha Shaw |
| In memory of Sir James Martin | Tim Hepinstall |
| In memory of Sir Adrian Swire | Aamina Bhutta |
| In memory of Sir Adrian Swire | Jonathan Rosser |
| In memory of Sir Adrian Swire | Gary Shaw |
| In memory of Sir Adrian Swire | Megan Addington |
| The Swire Charitable Trust | Alfie Rayner |
| The Swire Charitable Trust | Emily Neat |
| The Swire Charitable Trust | Gurpal Dosanjh |
| The Swire Charitable Trust | Rebecca Dickinson |
| The Swire Charitable Trust | Ben Jones |
| The Swire Charitable Trust | Emily Wharton |
| The Swire Charitable Trust | Matt Sturdy |
| The Swire Charitable Trust | Alisha Jiwa |
| The Swire Charitable Trust | Michael Merritt |
| The Swire Charitable Trust | Emmaline Haywood |
| The MacRobert Trust | Clementine King |
| The MacRobert Trust | Lynden Nicely |
| The MacRobert Trust | Joshua Nichols |
| The MacRobert Trust | Taylor MacMartin |
| Lady Agnes Humphrey | Lucy Dakin-Scott |
| Lady Agnes Humphrey | Jordan Hazrati |
| Lady Agnes Humphrey | Lily Ayres |
| CA Barnes | Angela Donnelly |
| CA Barnes | Callum Doak |
| CA Barnes | Harry Eagleson |
| In memory of Sir Arthur Marshall | William Rumsby |
| In memory of Sir Arthur Marshall | Rohan Chotai |
| Sky Demon | Tom Cracknell |
| In memory of Sir Michael Cobham | Emma Keogh |
| In memory of Sir Michael Cobham | Eleanor Jackson |
| In memory of Sir Michael Cobham | Holly Harris |
| The Colin Bates Memorial Scholarship | Wendy Hau |
| R Kronfield | Talya Atkins |
| 2021 Flying Bursaries | |
| Sponsor or Award | Recipient |
| Airbus UK – The Ed Strongman Bursary | Gemma Jeffries |
| Airbus UK – The Ed Strongman Bursary | Elainor Carter |
| R Kronfield | Ashleigh Duggan |
| R Kronfield | Lillian Marsh |
| Keith Mans | Daisy Bing |
| In memory of Sir Michael Cobham | Samantha Waller |
| In memory of Sir Michael Cobham | Alishia Bateman |
| In memory of Sir Michael Cobham | Lara Greggs |
| In memory of Sir Michael Cobham | Momain Ahmad |
| In memory of Sir Michael Cobham | James David Marshall |
| In memory of Sir Michael Cobham | George French |
| In memory of Sir Michael Cobham | Reshe Harrison |
| In memory of Sir Michael Cobham | Fahim Ahmed |
| In memory of Sir Michael Cobham | Edward Pinnegar |
| In memory of Sir Michael Cobham | Lochlann Allison |
| In memory of Sir Michael Cobham | Harry Karmel |
| In memory of Sir Michael Cobham | Rachel Calvert |
| In memory of Sir Michael Cobham | Benjamin Heenan |
| In memory of Sir Michael Cobham | Kirsten Gallagher |
| In memory of Sir Michael Cobham | Alex Blundell |
| 2021 Gliding Scholars | |
| Sponsor or Award | Recipient |
| Boeing UK | Milan Gandhi |
| Boeing UK | Elijah Heyns |
| Boeing UK | Abbie Haylock |
| Boeing UK | Khalid Aziz |
| Boeing UK | Caitlin Ryan |
| Forbes Insurance | Oliver Osborne |
| The Air League Trust | Peter Doherty |
| The Air League Trust | Chloe Kaczvinsky |
| The Air League Trust | Jack Raybould |
| The Air League Trust | Sam Joshi |
| The Air League Trust | Finn Hayes |
| The Air League Trust | Kathleen Wilkinson |
| 2021 Engineering Scholars | |
| Sponsor or Award | Recipient |
| Marshall of Cambridge | Matthew Peacock |
| Marshall of Cambridge | Maxwell Semple |
| Booker Aviation | Aaliyah Lockitt |
| Booker Aviation | Georgina Horwich |
| The Aviation Focus Group | Qaasim Suleman |
| The Aviation Focus Group | Imafi Idemudia |
| The Aviation Focus Group | Shabani Rashidi |
| The Aviation Focus Group | Eric Sanders |
| The Aviation Focus Group | Jacob McCarthy |
