#Rash2FlightSchool
Donation protected
My name is Rasheed Graham and I am a 23-year-old male from Kensal Rise in North West London. In 2019, I was honoured to be the first black student to be awarded a place on the Aer Lingus Future Pilot Programme. As some of you will be aware, commercial pilot training is very expensive. Currently, Aer Lingus offers the only fully funded cadet programme in the world, coming from a disadvantaged background, this funded programme was the only option available to me. The selection process was highly competitive and rigorous with more than 8500 people applying for the 18 places that were on offer. I started the course in November 2019 at Flight Training Europe, which is an airline pilot academy in Jerez, Spain. Unfortunately, after the first 20 weeks the Covid 19 outbreak happened, Flight Training Europe closed and we were flown back home by Aer Lingus. However, due to the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic and the detrimental effect it has had on the aviation industry, Aer Lingus have decided to terminate their programme as in the current climate they considered it unsustainable for them to continue funding our training.
Instead, Aer Lingus have offered to pay £44,000 towards an Airline Transport Pilots License course run by Flight Training Europe. However, Aer Lingus stipulate that we must find the balance of the cost of the course, which is £60,000, ourselves. This has to be done by January, which is when the course restarts. As I come from a disadvantaged background, I do not have the funds to pay the £60K needed to complete the course. If I do not find the money, I will have to forfeit my place.
Currently, only 7% of Pilots across the world are Black, Asian, or Minority Ethnic and the figure in the UK is close to 1%. I have fought my way into an industry which is not representative of minority communities and I would be doing myself and future generations of ambitious young men and women an injustice by giving up.
I would therefore ask you to kindly consider helping me to raise the funding by making a donation. It does not matter how small because every contribution will help. In addition, I will be so grateful if you could pass on this link to family and friends so they can also read my story and consider making a donation. To help me get the word out, please share my link to your Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and LinkedIn timelines. Thank you for taking the time to read my story.
Background
I come from a single parent household and I grew up in Northwest London and went to high school and sixth form at Capital City Academy in Willesden. I am an alumni of the Amos Bursary, a charity that helps to recruit talented British young men from inner-city London of Afro-Caribbean descent and equip them with the expertise to gain leading roles in the professional world and to become role models to society.
I have known since the age of 5 that I wanted to be a pilot, I could say that I caught the ‘aviation bug’ because I developed my love for flying out of the blue, since I have no family members who have been pilots or worked in the aviation industry. Despite my social circumstances and the inherit financial burden that comes with becoming a pilot, I have been determined to achieve my dreams. I joined the Air Training Corps at the age of 13 where I gained my first experience of flying. Since then I have gone onto to achieve many scholarships including the Fleet Air Arm gliding scholarship, Air League 12-Hour Scholarship. In 2017, I was deemed to have excelled exceptionally in flying and I was awarded The Prince Philip PPL Scholarship by Prince Philip which allowed me to qualify as a private pilot. During my time at Loughborough University, I was fortunate enough to accumulate 50 Hours flying on East Midlands University Air Squadron as an Officer Cadet.
Caption: Receiving the Ace Trophy for completion of the University Air Squadron Advanced Flying Syllabus
Caption: Receiving my PPL Scholarship from Prince Philip at St James' Palace
Caption: Outside the 'Blue Gates' at Flight Training Europe after my first week of groundschool
Caption: A short video from my Gliding Scholarship in 2016
Course Breakdown:
Weeks 1 - 19: Full-time Ground School + EASA Phase 1 Exams (Completed & Paid for by Aer Lingus)
IR-Instrument Rating
MCC- Multi-Crew Cooperation Course
JOC-Jet Orientation Course
ATPL-Airline Transport Pilot Licence
Instead, Aer Lingus have offered to pay £44,000 towards an Airline Transport Pilots License course run by Flight Training Europe. However, Aer Lingus stipulate that we must find the balance of the cost of the course, which is £60,000, ourselves. This has to be done by January, which is when the course restarts. As I come from a disadvantaged background, I do not have the funds to pay the £60K needed to complete the course. If I do not find the money, I will have to forfeit my place.
Currently, only 7% of Pilots across the world are Black, Asian, or Minority Ethnic and the figure in the UK is close to 1%. I have fought my way into an industry which is not representative of minority communities and I would be doing myself and future generations of ambitious young men and women an injustice by giving up.
I would therefore ask you to kindly consider helping me to raise the funding by making a donation. It does not matter how small because every contribution will help. In addition, I will be so grateful if you could pass on this link to family and friends so they can also read my story and consider making a donation. To help me get the word out, please share my link to your Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and LinkedIn timelines. Thank you for taking the time to read my story.
Background
I come from a single parent household and I grew up in Northwest London and went to high school and sixth form at Capital City Academy in Willesden. I am an alumni of the Amos Bursary, a charity that helps to recruit talented British young men from inner-city London of Afro-Caribbean descent and equip them with the expertise to gain leading roles in the professional world and to become role models to society.
I have known since the age of 5 that I wanted to be a pilot, I could say that I caught the ‘aviation bug’ because I developed my love for flying out of the blue, since I have no family members who have been pilots or worked in the aviation industry. Despite my social circumstances and the inherit financial burden that comes with becoming a pilot, I have been determined to achieve my dreams. I joined the Air Training Corps at the age of 13 where I gained my first experience of flying. Since then I have gone onto to achieve many scholarships including the Fleet Air Arm gliding scholarship, Air League 12-Hour Scholarship. In 2017, I was deemed to have excelled exceptionally in flying and I was awarded The Prince Philip PPL Scholarship by Prince Philip which allowed me to qualify as a private pilot. During my time at Loughborough University, I was fortunate enough to accumulate 50 Hours flying on East Midlands University Air Squadron as an Officer Cadet.
Caption: Receiving the Ace Trophy for completion of the University Air Squadron Advanced Flying Syllabus Caption: Receiving my PPL Scholarship from Prince Philip at St James' PalaceCaption: Outside the 'Blue Gates' at Flight Training Europe after my first week of groundschoolCaption: A short video from my Gliding Scholarship in 2016
Course Breakdown:
Weeks 1 - 19: Full-time Ground School + EASA Phase 1 Exams (Completed & Paid for by Aer Lingus)
IR-Instrument Rating
MCC- Multi-Crew Cooperation Course
JOC-Jet Orientation Course
ATPL-Airline Transport Pilot Licence
Fundraising team (3)
Rasheed Graham
Organizer
England
Tina Harris
Team member
Fiona Macpherson
Team member