Rob Howarth Born in 1971, Rob Howarth grew up playing with plastic model aircraft then moved onto flying radio controlled model aircraft, competing in national aerobatic competitions. Rob joined the Air Training Corps at 13 and went onto fly solo at 16 in motor glider. Rob still flies radio controlled model aircraft now, but large scale petrol powered aircraft and has great fun doing so in his spare time. Rob started aerobatics after buying a share in a Yak 52, a Russian military training aircraft. He started competing at competition aerobatics in 2002 with the British Aerobatic Association at standard level in a Pitts S1S. Rob trained hard in late 02 and early 03 for the 2003 competition season and consequently won the Standard Aerobatic National Championship in 2003 as well as many other trophies throughout 2003 and 2004, including Tiger Club International Aerobatic Trophy. Rob finished his competition life in 2005 with a fourth place at the Advanced Nationals and now holds an Advanced level Display Authorisation enabling him to fly down to 100 feet! Rob has flown a variety of aerobatic aircraft including Russian radial engined machines as well as different Pitts’ and Extra’s Rob is married to Cally and has a young son, Samuel who plays with toy aeroplanes most of his time as well as being a regular at White Waltham airfield! Rob is currently gaining his ATPL. Rob loves being in the air and enjoys the challenge of expressing himself through the complex art of aerobatics, hopefully entertaining the crowd as well as introducing young people into the wonderful world of flying! Alan Cassidy Alan Cassidy is one of Britain's best-known and most highly experienced aerobatic instructors. He won the British National Aerobatic Championship in 1998, 1999, 2001 & 2003. As a member of the British Aerobatic Team he has taken part in six World Championship competitions. Alan has over 4,000 hours in the Pitts Special and has flown numerous other aerobatic types including all the modern Russian Sukhois, Yaks and German Extra aircraft. Alan has been a full-time aerobatic pilot and instructor since 1991, and is the developer of the Aresti computer software for aerobatic forms and sequence diagrams. He has competed in the World Aerobatic Championships in Cape Town (1995), Oklahoma (1996), Kansas (1997), Slovakia (1998) and Toulouse/Muret, France in August 2000. In September 1999 Alan was part of the British Team flying in the European Unlimited Championships at Cordoba, Spain. He has since flown for the UK in the 2001 World Air Games at Burgos, Spain, and at the 2002 Unlimited European Aerobatic Championships in Lithuania, flying the CAP-232. In 2003 he flew in the World Championships in Florida, USA in a rented Giles G202. In 2006 and 2007 Alan flew in International Advanced aerobatic competitions, winning a Bronze Medal in the Second Unknown sequence in Finland in 2007. Alan graduated from Trinity College, Cambridge in Mechanical Sciences prior to joining the RAF in 1970. His Air Force career as a professional aeronautical engineer lasted 20 years and included maintaining and flying in Harriers among other more mundane tasks. Alan's flying experience also includes commercial air transport operations, and he holds UK CAA ATPL/IR and FAA CPL licence's. Alan is the current BAeA Delegate to the International Aerobatic Commission (CIVA) of the FAI, a member of the Commission's Rules Sub-Committee and Chairman of the Catalogue Sub-Committee. He has been Chairman of the BAeA since January 2006. |
