Sir Roger Gale
Member of Parliament for North Thanet (Margate, Herne Bay & The Villages)
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Take-off for All-Party Group for General Aviation
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January 17th 2017
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North Thanet`s MP and Private Pilot Carol Vorderman MBE at Take-off for All-Party Group for General Aviation
North Thanet`s MP, Sir Roger Gale and Carol Vorderman, who owns and flies her own light aircraft, were present for the launch of the All-Party Group for General Aviation in the House of Commons this week. As a guest speaker Carol Vorderman stressed the importance of the contribution made by the Air Cadets, for whom she is an Ambassador, to the training of tomorrow`s young pilots and engineers and of the country`s airfields to the future of jobs and prosperity both now and post-Brexit.
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Also speaking during the meeting Sir Roger paid tribute to the late Ted Girdler, the former Red Arrows pilot and founder of TG Aviation and for his family`s work in running an excellent flying club and promoting general aviation. Again describing the closure of Manston Airport, from which Miss Vorderman has flown, as an "act of corporate vandalism" the MP renewed his vow to fight to see Manston re-opened and aircraft once
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again landing and taking off at the historic airfield. He called upon the All-Party Group to press for legislation to protect airfields from changes in planning use saying that "once these national assets are gone they are lost forever".
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The All-Party Group has been formed under the Chairmanship of Byron Davies MP to promote the interests of general aviation and to protect further airfields from closure and re-development as "brownfield sites". Commenting on the formation of the Group Byron Davies said:
"General Aviation is worth over £3billion to the UK annually, provides unrivalled training to our pilots and supports a huge industry of enthusiastic aviators. Aviation has a long and proud tradition in the UK and supports thousands of jobs in constituencies across the Country yet it faces a crisis that must be averted. Together with (Former Party Chairman, Aviation Minister and private pilot) Grant Shapops we seek to change the current situation by supporting the industry as strongly as possible and to seek to influence Government policy."
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