Wings4Warriors, a UK military charity, has opened a new dedicated flight training center for UK armed services veterans located at Gloucestershire Airport (GLO) in the west of England. The Veterans’ Flying School (VFS), as the new center has been named, was officially opened by HRH The Princess Royal on January 16, 2025, and will train veterans as professional pilots on a not-for-profit basis.

Wings4Warriors, which operates its own Piper PA-28 Warrior appropriately registered G-WFWA, was founded in 2012 after founder Mark Radcliffe, then a flight instructor, met an amputee Royal Marine with dreams of becoming a commercial pilot. Since then, the charity has supported more than 30 veterans into aviation careers, including former Royal Engineer Sam Taylor, severely injured in Afghanistan, and now flying as a qualified commercial pilot for a major UK airline.

Wings4WarriorsWings4Warriors
Wings4Warriors

The opening ceremony, which was also attended by His Majesty’s Lord-Lieutenant of Gloucestershire, Edward Gillespie, began with an introduction by Gloucestershire Airport’s Managing Director, Jason Ivey, and Mark Radcliffe, Founder of Wings for Warriors. The Princess Royal toured the facility, observing a lesson in progress, speaking with instructors and students, and meeting key supporters, trustees, and veterans who have benefited from the program offered by the charity.

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