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Learn to Fly was established in 2002 as a Flying School with Ian MacAdam as Learn to Fly's Chief Flying Instructor. With 20 years experience and 3000+ hours on a range of different aircraft, he has been flying hang gliders and microlights since1987. In 1992 he started flying light aircraft and went to America to obtain his commercial pilot's license (CPL), where he became type rated on twin engine aircraft and seemed destined for a career as an airline pilot.
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However adventure got the better of him and he went out to Africa in 1993 to establish Batoka Sky, the microlighting company that offers pleasure flights over Victoria Falls. The company is still going strong to this day. Ian returned from Zambia to concentrate on other things (like getting a job!) whilst remaining an active hang glider and microlight pilot in 1996.
In 2002 Ian decided that a full time job wasn't all it was cracked up to be, so he became an Assistant Flying Instructor in the UK on microlights and has been a full time instructor on weight shift microlights ever since. Ian has always maintained his passion for hang gliding and wanted to show people what it is like to soar above the countryside in a tandem hang glider, and in 2005 he bought his ATOS VX, a 'rigid-wing' hang glider, that is certified for 2 people, to establish the first specialist "air experience" school in the South of England. |
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Anna Cullum Anna (Ian's wife) will often be busy helping on the ground to make your flying session as smooth as possible. Anna has spent many years helping customers get the most out of their day, in particular running the shops at Tate Modern which she did for 5 years. When she is not working with Ian, she works freelance as a project assistant in London working for various organisations including art galleries and architects..
Justin North
Justin is one of Learn-to-Fly's stalwart tug pilots. He has been flying trikes for 4 years and has several hundred hours on his beloved Quantum. Recently retired from being a professional photographer, he was influenced to learn to fly by his father, who actually served at Hornchurch (an ex WW2 aerodrome,) as a Hurricane fighter pilot in the war, which was situated just a mile or so from Damyns Hall. He stills keeps his father's 'wings' in his flying suit! His enthusiasm for the business of tugging is second to none.
John Brutnell
John has been flying for a number of years and works down the road at City Airport managing one of the world's wealthiest men personal jet! He has his own Quantum and is often undertaking exhilarating cross country flights when even the most hardy of microlighters would be sitting in the café waiting for calmer conditions. He is passionate about microlighting and loves tugging up the ATOS after a days work to blow the cobwebs away.
Steve Smith
Steve has 100's of hours as a microlighting pilot and is Learn-to-Fly's latest recruit as a tug pilot. He has been an assistant instructor in the past and is both very fit and inexhaustible in his role as a tug pilot!
Dave and Paul Henderson (our local unofficial Ground crew)
Paul is currently a student learning to fly microlights with Ian and when not doing this is usually propelling himself out of aeroplanes at 13,000ft! A serious Skydiver, one of his latest exploits involved jumping with the Red Devils parachute team. Dave is an machine engineer who spends many days at the airfield soaking up the atmosphere and helping out on the ground. His dream is to paramotor and to this end has acquired a new flying machine (as yet un-tested!). Both he and Paul have made a great contribution to Learn-to-Fly in helping out Ian and allowing the hang gliding operation to run smoothly since we moved to Damyns Hall.
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