Westcountry squad take the year off to a flying start!

Westcountry squad flying start!

As a motivational day aligned with our slogan for this year – New Heights 2017 – Westcountry Group’s directors took the whole Westcountry crew on a flying experience, giving each team member the chance to fly in a Piper PA-38 Tomahawk or Warrior aircraft. Talk about a flying start for 2017!

So, with mixed feelings of apprehension and sheer excitement, we travelled to the Hampton Hilton Hotel at Exeter Airport where we had an enthusiastic outline for 2017 from CEO Miles. Then we took it easy for a while in the hotel, relaxing in the eating area and (im)patiently waiting for our turn to head for the sky. In the meantime, we enjoyed a delectable lunch, consisting of chicken or salmon in a creamy leek sauce with roasted veg and a deliciously moist and gorgeously squidgy sticky toffee pudding.

Then it was time: New Heights 2017 here we come! Off we went in small groups and squeezed into the compact cockpit of the 2- and 4-seater planes. A quick briefing, headphones on, brakes off, check flaps and away we went, up into the clear blue sky, secretly wondering whether this seemingly flimsy plane would actually take off!

However, once our initial fears were overcome, we had the time of our lives. The weather was perfect; a clear blue sky with only a few clouds floating round, the scenery was also magnificent; the picturesque Dawlish red-rock coast and the beautiful Devon countryside – all viewed from above. Then a message comes through the headphones from the pilot beside us, “You want to take the controls now?” “Seriously?” we thought. “Why not? Gotta give this a go!”

After a 20-minute flight each, it was time for team games and chocolates before we headed home – motivated, energised and ready to launch into 2017 to make this our most successful year yet, both for the company and our customers!

A massive thank you to all the directors, Aviation South West and the staff at the Hampton Hilton Hotel for making this day such a huge success.