Horizons by Airbus in Filton, Bristol, UK

Airbus Filton

Horizons Community Review 2014

A time for firsts In the past 12 months, Airbus has celebrated a series of firsts including the first flight of its brand new, cleaner, greener A350 XWB (extra wide body) aircraft. Pages 4 and 5

Wonders of engineering

Buddies make kids’ reading fly

300 students from 30 different schools visit the TeenTech© West event at the University of the West of England, Bristol. Page 3

Popular award winning community scheme continues to grow. Page 7

002

Horizons Community Review 2014

Fast Facts Every 2.3 seconds an Airbus aircraft takes off or lands

9 years

order book backlog

10 engineering centres worldwide

15 manufacturing sites in Europe

100 nationalities of Airbus employees

460 Airbus customers and operators

Adam wins Deputy Prime Minister’s award Adam receives his award from Vince Cable, Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, watched by Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg.

1,400 suppliers 7,660 aircraft in operation

A

8,295 aircraft delivered

13,820 aircraft* ordered

10,000 UK workforce

61,000 worldwide workforce

100,000 jobs supported in the UK

£56 million

cost of an Airbus A320

£242 million

cost of an Airbus A380 superjumbo

7 billion passengers

have flown on Airbus A320 family aircraft * orders correct at 31 Jan 2014

irbus graduate Adam Taylor has won the James Caan Award for an Inspirational Young Person in the prestigious Deputy Prime Minister’s Opening Doors Business Awards 2013.

Adam was presented with his award by Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills Vince Cable at a glittering ceremony in Lancaster House in London. He also met Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg and a host of other high-profile VIP guests.

Adam, aged 24, was nominated for the award by colleagues at Filton, Bristol, who recognised his exceptional talent and his determination to overcome challenges in his life and career.

Adam was born in Woolwich, one of South East London’s most disadvantaged boroughs. The oldest of three sons, his father was a lorry driver and his mother had left school at 14.

He was singled out as an underachiever and designated special needs as a child. When he expressed an interest in going to grammar school, his teacher said: “All you’ll ever need to learn is to say: Big Mac, Large Fries because you haven’t got a chance.”

Adam decided, at the age of 10, that he would prove that teacher wrong.

He worked hard throughout his school career passing his 11 plus examination, his GCSEs and his A levels and was the first person in his family ever to go to university.

Despite having four part-time jobs to pay his way, he achieved a First Class degree with Honours in Air Transport Management from Loughborough University. Adam beat 100 applicants for his place on the Airbus Direct Entry Graduate (DEG) Scheme.

Filton General Manager and Human Resources Director Mark Stewart said: “Adam has excelled in every area in which he has worked, is a popular employee who approaches every problem with a positive, ‘can-do’ attitude and a great team player.

“It’s hard to think of a more inspirational young person. He is a credit to his family, to Airbus and to himself. We are very proud of him and we all send him our sincere congratulations on achieving this award.”

Adam said: “I’m not one of those people who finds academic work easy, but I know that if you work hard enough, nothing is impossible.

“My mum and dad didn’t want me or my brothers to struggle and really pushed us to do as well as we could. They have made me who I am today, so this award is theirs as much as it is mine and I am determined to do the best I possibly can for them, as much as for myself.”

Businesses and organisations throughout the UK nominated exceptional young people for the awards and Adam was one of three joint winners, from 130 submissions.

Deputy Prime Minister

visits Bristol A

Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg takes questions from Airbus employees during a visit to Bristol.

“Aerospace experts with highly specialised skills are working hard to make sure the UK remains Europe’s number one aerospace manufacture…”

–Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg

To find out more about Airbus click on airbus.com

Airbus

@airbus

irbus Filton has been in the news on many occasions during the past 12 months – for all the right reasons.

One of the highlights was a visit by Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg to announce a £2 billion investment in advanced research and development in the aerospace sector.

TV cameras and broadcast and print journalists flocked to the A400M wing manufacturing facility at Filton to hear Mr Clegg outline a long-term partnership between the Government and UK Aerospace Industries.

During his visit, the Deputy Prime Minister was given a tour of the site and met employees, managers, apprentices and graduates.

He operated the A350 Landing Gear Test Rig and had a look inside the new Telemetry Room, which monitors test flights as they happen.

Mr Clegg spoke with employees and answered questions on a range of subjects, showing a keen interest in the work of Airbus and the company’s people and products.

“Aerospace experts with highly specialised skills are working hard to make sure the UK remains Europe’s number one aerospace manufacturer,” he said.

“We’re doing all we can to maintain this jewel in our crown.

“The UK’s best technical experts can ensure we continue to build and design the planes of the future – lighter, quieter, faster and more fuel efficient.”

The Government is providing £1 billion funding with industry matching this amount to focus on the research and development of new technologies to help design and build the aircraft of the future.

The investment means Airbus is well placed to maintain its share of the global civil aerospace market which is expected to double in the next 15 years.

Horizons Community Review 2014

Welcome to the 2014 edition of Horizons,

Event shows students the wonders of engineering

M

ore than 300 students from 30 different schools visited the TeenTech West event at the University of the West of England in Bristol.

The event, sponsored by Airbus, was designed to inspire and inform young people aged 12-13 and their teachers about the contemporary world of science, engineering and technology.

It was highly interactive and gave the students the chance to try their hand at experiments, to handle leading edge technology and to spend time with the engineers, technologists and scientists influencing their 21st century lives.

TeenTech is a powerful intervention just before students make their GCSE subject choices, dispelling gender stereotypes and shifting perceptions of careers teenagers may have considered “difficult”, “geeky” or “boring”.

It also gave the students the opportunity to meet a wide range of different people who work in science and engineering roles.

The two Airbus stands were hugely popular with the young visitors. At the Airbus Wing Academy, they found out about how aircraft fly before testing different wing shapes to find the optimum design.

The new demonstrator wind-tunnel, produced for Airbus by the At-Bristol science team, was a massive success.

It uses streams of smoke to actively demonstrate the differences in air pressure above and below a moving wing section, and vortex effects.

Airbus’ community magazine.

A

Maggie Philbin and pupils from the Orchard School, Bristol having fun with the Bernoulli blower.

Graduates of the Wing Academy watched their own name badges being laser-cut and were challenged to make paper aeroplanes and record their results online later.

Rowan Ahmed, aged 14, from Bradley Stoke said: “It’s really interesting because they are showing you how a plane flies and what makes it goes faster and slower.”

A second Airbus stand showcased a graduatebuilt fuel system demonstrator, a range of aircraft components and the ever-popular Bernoulli blower.

There was also an interactive quiz.

There were a wide range of stands from other organisations – including Rolls Royce, Active Robots and the Bloodhound Project – in different ‘zones’.

TeenTech is an award-winning, industry-led initiative that aims to inspire young people to become interested in the STEM subjects of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics.

It was founded by former Tomorrow’s World reporter Maggie Philbin and Chris Dodson OBE. At the event, Maggie said: “TeenTech is the most important thing I’ve ever done. Young people need immersive encounters with science; they need to talk to engineers. At events like this, they have a real sense of how big, diverse and exciting the world of science and technology is, and how they could have a part in it.”

nyone who’s driven past our Filton site in the last year will have noticed some very big changes!

Historic Pegasus House, the building that’s been wrapped in plastic for more than a decade, has been refurbished and brought back to life.

Behind it is the brand new, bespoke Barnwell House. Together, these two buildings form the Airbus Aerospace Park which enables us to recognise our heritage and celebrate the future in a flagship development which reinforces our credentials as a centre of excellence for European aviation design and engineering. You can find out everything you need to know about the Park in the four-page supplement inside this magazine.

It’s been an exciting year for the business as a whole.

Our brand new A350 xtra wide body aircraft flew for the first time in June and flew over Bristol for the first time at the end of November. We’ve also started production of the NEO (New Engine Option) variant of our best-selling Single Aisle family aircraft. Much of the design work for these two aircraft took place at Filton. Likewise we delivered our first A400M to the French Air Force with the wings of course being made here in Filton.

And away from the manufacturing and engineering side of things, our charity, education, environment and community teams have been busier than ever in Bristol and the South West.

You can find out some of what we’ve been up to in Horizons. We hope you enjoy reading the magazine.

On behalf of everyone at Airbus Filton, I’d like to send you every good wish for 2014.

Mark Stewart

General Manager and Human Resources Director.

Graduation for female engineers of the future

F

emale students have successfully completed an educational programme designed to give them a passion for engineering.

A total of 41 young women have successfully graduated from the 10-week Industrial Cadets programme supported by Airbus mentors.

Under the scheme, the students studied energy use in their schools and researched ways to reduce the impact on the environment with the help of female engineers from Airbus. The Cadets, aged between 12 and 14, were from the City Academy and Bristol Grammar schools in Bristol, Backwell School and Gordano School in North Somerset.

Each team took part in a range of activities including project management and teambuilding skills then presented their work on the final assessment day to a panel of Airbus experts. Prizes were awarded for teamwork, innovation, best solution and student’s choice.

Senior Fuel Systems engineer Loraine McIlree said: “It was a real privilege to be an Airbus mentor and I was amazed at the enthusiasm and performance of the students from their planning right through to the final presentations.

“The programme is a great, interactive way to encourage more female students to follow careers they might previously not have considered.”

Molly Henrysmith, a pupil from City Academy, said: “We definitely would do it again because it was an interesting topic learning new facts and having our own important roles.”

The City Academy team receiving their Innovation Prize award from Airbus mentor Sue Partridge.

003

004

Horizons Community Review 2014

A time for In the past 12 months, Airbus has celebrated a series of firsts including the first flight of its brand new, cleaner, greener A350 XWB (extra wide body) aircraft.

O

firsts

n the morning of June 14th, 2013, thousands of men and women throughout the UK were waiting for the moment when the new Airbus aeroplane, the A350 XWB took to the skies for the very first time.

The world’s media had gathered at the Airbus delivery centre in Toulouse, Southern France, where the aircraft was waiting on the runway.

A 20,000 strong crowd was present at the French airfield, each hoping to watch the aeroplane’s maiden flight. Around the world, tens of thousands of Airbus employees, suppliers, aviation enthusiasts and members of the public were waiting too.

At the Airbus UK site in Filton, the sense of anticipation was tangible. Hundreds of those who had been involved in the design and innovation of the wings, the fuel systems and the landing gear of the new aircraft were standing together, watching giant screens.

They could see the A350 XWB at the end of the runway, shimmering in the heat generated by its engines, waiting for the signal to move.

In the cockpit, the crew, led by British chief test pilot Pete Chandler, were carrying out the final tests and preparations.

At exactly 9am, the A350 XWB began to move, powered by its new Trent XWB engines and reaching a speed of around 140 knots. All those watching held their breath – It was a heart-stopping moment.

Within seconds, the aircraft’s wheels had left the ground and it was soaring into the sky, gracefully, powerfully and perfectly.

2006

April Although the aircraft was still very much at the planning stage, work began on a new factory at the Airbus site in

2009

2007

Broughton, North Wales.

March Finnair became the first airline to sign a firm contract to buy an all-new A350 XWB.

December The A350 XWB family received the go ahead. Using the latest in light-weight composite materials and metallic alloys, it was set to use 24% less fuel, produce 25% less carbon emissions and reduce noise levels.

To find out more about Airbus click on airbus.com

January There was a groundbreaking ceremony for the new factory where the major aircraft components would be assembled (called a final assembly line or FAL) in Toulouse.

Filton erupted as employees cheered spontaneously, giving the A350 XWB – their baby – a huge round of applause. People who had worked towards this moment for years, in some cases decades, embraced one another, and many shed an emotional tear.

Video footage of the scenes was broadcast around the UK. The internet was buzzing. The first take-off of the first A350 XWB had been an unqualified success.

It was a hugely proud moment for Airbus, and those who were watching together said they felt privileged to witness history being made.

The aircraft rose to a height of 10,000 feet while the crew checked out its handling qualities and made sure all the systems and controls were working as they should before it was taken up to 25,000 feet.

In Toulouse, Airbus Chief Executive Officer Fabrice Bregier said: “You don’t know how proud I am of Airbus at this moment!”

In Filton, Florence Foucaud from the wing team said: “We spent all those years working on something and although we know we’re heading towards first flight, it’s only now we realise how great our day job really is.”

Head of the wing programme Trevor Higgs said the first flight was the culmination of years of planning, innovation and hard work.

“Without the talent, professionalism, dedication, technical skill and downright hard work of so many people, we would not be here today, celebrating this momentous achievement,” he said.

Martin Evans, of the landing gear team, said: “It’s a warm feeling of pride, like seeing your child take its first steps; this flight is something we’ve been working towards for so many years.”

And Michael James, who works in fuel systems, said: “I was elated watching the aircraft take off.

Today was a really special day.”

2010

October Airbus opened the bespoke Landing Gear Systems Test Facility at Filton. It was named after Sir George White, founder of the Bristol Aeroplane Company.

2008 December Production began on the first large-scale carbon-fibre component for the aircraft. It was the central wingbox – a major component which connects the left and right wings.

It measured 36 square metres.

Airbus

@airbus

2011

June Rolls Royce unveiled a more powerful engine for the largest of the A350 XWB aircraft family, the -1000 version. The Trent XWB engine will deliver world-beating fuel efficiency.

October Prime Minister David Cameron officially opened the new A350 XWB wing factory at Broughton. Called the North Factor it became the first Airbus building to achieve a BREEAM ‘excellent’ rating for best practice in environmental standards.

Horizons Community Review 2014

A350 XWB visits Bristol

A

s a special ‘thank you’ to all the Filton employees who have worked so hard, for so long on developing the A350 XWB, one of the two current flight test aircraft made a special visit to Bristol at the end of November.

The aircraft flew low and slow over the Airbus site, and was welcomed and cheered on by thousands of employees.

To show their appreciation, pilot Thierry Bourges and co-pilot Jean-Christophe Lair gave a special ‘wing-waggle’ to their enthusiastic audience.

“Since the first flight on 14 June, we have received numerous requests to bring the A350 XWB to the UK sites,” Didier Evrard, head of the A350 XWB programme explained. “I want to warmly thank the flight test team for making this great tour possible.”

At the time of Horizons going to print, Airbus has 814 firm orders from 39 customers for the A350 XWB aircraft.

Chairman of South Gloucestershire Council Ian Boulton joined the Airbus team to watch the first flight and to celebrate the event.

He said: “I’m so proud to be here on the day when this incredible aircraft takes its first flight, Airbus has a very special place in the South Gloucestershire community. It’s an honour for me to be here today.”

Meanwhile, for the first time in a first flight, the team in the Telemetry Room – a room with direct links to the flight test aircraft – at Filton was monitoring the aircraft’s systems during the flight.

A dedicated team of 13 was ensconced in the Telemetry Room where a simulated model of the aircraft was responding to data sent directly from MSN001. A further 11 fuel systems and landing gear specialists were on standby in the adjoining room.

The Filton engineers could see, and hear, everything that was happening in the aircraft cockpit, and speak to the pilots if necessary.

The aircraft flew for just under four hours, returning to base at 12.55pm and making a low pass over the crowd before landing to rapturous applause.

Welcoming the crew back home, A350 XWB chief engineer Gordon McConnell said: “We’ve just seen the first flight of the most advanced civil aircraft in the world.”

A350 XWB Factfile The A350 XWB has been designed to be as eco-efficient as possible at every point in every journey, from the departure gate and take-off, through flight, to landing and taxiing to the arrival gate.

Next-generation engines and the latest in aerodynamics have combined to produce an aircraft which burns 25% less fuel, produces fewer CO2 emissions and makes less noise than its current long-range competition.

More than 70% of the aircraft’s airframe is made from advanced, lightweight materials, including more than 50% from composite carbon-fibre materials*.

Each wing cover is 32 metres long by six metres wide and varies in thickness from 8 to 28 millimetres. This makes them the largest, single aviation parts ever made from carbon-fibre materials.

The aircraft is powered by all new Rolls-Royce Trent XWB engines.

2012

ry,

February The new Trent XWB engine flew for the first time. It replaced one of the four engines on an A380 superjumbo test aircraft known as a Flying Test Bed. For over five hours the aircraft covered a range of power settings, going from low speed to Mach 0.9 and climbing to 43,000 feet.

October In Filton, a scale replica of the aircraft’s hugely complex fuel system was undergoing exhaustive tests, including those to establish how the systems would cope in extreme situations.

September The first A350 XWB wing left Broughton on board the Beluga aircraft. Each wing cover measures 32 metres long by six metres wide, the biggest single civil aviation parts made from carbon-fibre composite material.

2013

April The aircraft began a series of extensive ground vibration and lightning safety strike tests.

Hundreds of sensors measured the structure’s responses and confirmed that everything was performing as expected.

November The first fully assembled aircraft moved from the FAL to the static testing hall.

It underwent a series of tests.

The wingtips were bent up to 5 metres but returned to their normal shape afterwards.

May The first painted A350 XWB rolled out of the hangar in Toulouse.

Final preparations began in the run up to the aircraft’s first flight.

Three weeks later, the engines were powered up for its first time.

There will be three versions of the A350 XWB the -900 (this is the version that flew first), the -1000 and the -800.

The -1000 is the largest member of the family with seating for up to 350 passengers and a range capability of 8,400 nautical miles (15,500 kilometres).

New avionics systems ensure better fuel economy on the ground and in the air. Every tonne of fuel saved means three tonnes less CO2 in the atmosphere. * Composite materials are made by bundling together thousands of carbon filaments and combining them with other materials. Each carbon fibre is about the same width as a human hair. They are all impregnated with resin which makes them even stronger. In this way, very thin layers of materials can be combined to produce a structure of the required shape and strength. Carbon-fibre components are also highly resistant to corrosion.

November The first A350 XWB customer wingset left Broughton’s factory.

Present

At the time of going to print, two A350 XWB aircraft have completed more than 900 flight test hours.

timeline

005

006

Horizons Community Review 2014

NEWS IN BRIEF

Lea Welsh and her grandfather, Graham Shrubsole, met Lea’s namesake British Airways’ A380 ‘LEA’ and pilot, Training Standards Captain Rob De Martino

Reusing old foam Kathryn Archer and her colleagues in the Airbus Environment team joined forces with Bristol company Collecteco to prevent foam waste that’s unsuitable for recycling from going to landfill. The foam waste is redistributed for reuse as an alternative to packaging materials. Some has also gone to Children’s Scrapstore for use in their playpods.

Focus on World Environment week A number of events were held at Filton during World Environment Week. These included lunchtime walks for fitness and wellbeing, an ‘eat, think, save’ event to encourage employees to think about waste reduction and food recycling and an opportunity to have bikes repaired and maintained.

Airbus team wins Society medal A team of engineers has been awarded a prestigious Royal Aeronautical Society medal for work leading to advances in aerospace.

The team, led by Dr Joseph Lam, developed Neptune, a system for predicting how water will accumulate inside different aircraft fuel systems.

The importance of bat conservation Hugh Doulton, leader of a project to conserve the endangered Livingstone’s Fruit Bat, has spoken of the increasing urgency of protecting the animals. The bats are currently listed as endangered by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature, but they may soon become critically endangered as pressures on them in the wild continue to increase.

Airbus sponsors Bristol Zoo’s sustainable development project in the Comoros islands, the natural habitat of the bats.

H

ave you ever wondered what it would be like to fly one of the world’s biggest passenger aircraft?

We have! That’s why we spoke to Rob De Martino, a British Airways (BA) pilot and training standards captain for every BA in-service A380 superjumbo.

He gave us lots of interesting information, and he also told us why he thinks his job is the best in the world!

Q: Did you always want to be a pilot?

A: I decided when I was seven that was what I wanted to do. I achieved my Private Pilot’s Licence at 17 while I was still at school, before I learned to drive a car.

Q: How long have you been with BA? A: I joined in 1988 and have been with them ever since. The A380 is my first Airbus aeroplane after 33 years of flying.

Q: What did it feel like the first time you flew a real A380 as opposed to a training simulator?

A: My first take off was out of Sydney in a Qantas aircraft. It’s always very exciting to get my hands on a new aeroplane and with this one there was a real adrenaline rush.

Q: What do you think of the A380?

A: I love it! It’s a beautiful aeroplane. It’s very quiet and comfortable for the passengers and if they’re comfortable, we’re more relaxed. The performance is phenomenal. It’s very responsive and easy to

A Grand day-out

L

Centenary of first ‘Bristol’ flight One of the most significant aircraft ever built at Filton, the Bristol ‘Scout’, made its first flight 100 years ago, in February 1914. The Scout was the first aeroplane to be allocated a Bristol ‘Type’ number. It was Number 1.

Concorde was one of the last.

Thank you to the donors For more than half a century, employees at Filton have been giving blood to help others.

The earliest record of blood being given at the site was in 1960. In the past five years, 3,812 pints of blood have been donated and there are currently 511 active donors registered at Filton.

To find out more about Airbus click on airbus.com

Meet the pilot!

Airbus

ast summer, Bristol played host to some of its most popular visitors ever – a diverse assortment of larger-than-life dogs!

A total of 81, five-foot high Gromit statues, each decorated differently, went on display at locations in and around the city.

It was all part of Wallace and Gromit’s Grand Appeal for Bristol Children’s Hospital and it proved one of the most exciting, interactive activities ever, with individuals, families and groups challenging themselves to track down all the statues.

At the end of summer, the dogs made a special visit to Airbus where they were kept in a secret location to be repaired and restored prior to being auctioned off for charity by TV favourite Tim Wonnacott.

In all, £2.3 milion was raised for the Hospital through the initiative. The Airbus-sponsored Gromit, called Bushed, was designed by artist David Inshaw and fetched £24,000 at the auction.

Lynne Dawes, who co-ordinated the storage of the Gromits for Airbus said: “We’re delighted to have been involved in a scheme that’s brought pleasure to so many people and that will bring such benefits to sick children.” @airbus

manoeuvre for such a big aeroplane. A lot of that is down to the amazing wings designed at Filton. When we come in to land, we’re coming in slower because we can land in a shorter distance. This means less thrust so less noise.

Q: What do you enjoy most about your job?

A: I have the best views of any office in the world. Flying over the Gobi Desert as the sun comes up is an amazing sight. I’ve never wanted to do anything else, and I never will.

Now meet the plane!

L

ittle Lea Welsh could hardly believe her eyes when she came face to face with the giant A380 aeroplane that shares her name!

Lea, aged eight, has always loved aircraft but her favourite is the BA A380 with the registration mark LEA on its cockpit.

British Airways invited her to come and see the superjumbo close-up at Heathrow along with her mother, Karen, and grandfather Graham Shrubsole who works on the A380 programme at Airbus.

Lea, who lives in Bristol, inspected the aircraft and sat in the cockpit along with pilot Rob De Martino.

Lea asked Rob lots of questions and has now decided that she, like him, would like to fly superjumbos when she grows up.

Horizons Community Review 2014

NEWS IN BRIEF Concorde’s future planned Bristol’s most iconic aircraft, Concorde 216, has come a step closer to having a permanent retirement home at Filton. A bid by Bristol Aero Collection Trust has passed its first hurdle to create a museum and a new building to house Concorde at Filton Airfield. Airbus is giving €1 million to the project.

Liz Cole Bristol education charity Ablaze’s Business Champion of the Year enjoys reading with one of her buddies

Buddy scheme booming M ore than 120 Airbus volunteers give up at least one hour a week to help primary school children with reading and maths.

Last year, Airbus won awards for its volunteering work in local schools.

Bristol education charity Ablaze named Airbus its Business of the Year and employee Liz Cole was named Business Champion of the Year.

A third award went to the team that gives “outstanding support” to Henbury Court Primary and individual awards were presented to three separate volunteers for their exceptional contributions.

Thanks to the Ablaze scheme, more than 1,400 children in the Bristol area now benefit from one-to-one support from volunteers who regularly visit classrooms as reading buddies, to help with literacy, and number partners, who help with numeracy skills.

“It’s one of the highlights of my week, I get on really well with the kids and we all find that we enjoy it as much as they do.”

– Engineer Boonseng Soh

S

Jenny Body OBE, former Airbus head of Research and Technology and Business Development, has been inaugurated as the first female President of the Royal Aeronautical Society in its 175 year history. The ceremony took place on the 100th anniversary of the birth of Britain’s most famous woman pilot Amy Johnson.

Talent and innovation at PhD day Some of the brightest and best aerospace and engineering students in the world presented their work at the Airbus PhD day in Bristol.

Together with academic supervisors and technical experts they came together to find out about each other’s work, to exchange ideas, and to network.

Engineer Boonseng Soh is one of the 120 Airbus volunteers and is both a reading buddy and a number partner.

Sam shines in work experience role am Smith carried out essential archiving work at Airbus as part of a scheme to offer work experience to people with disabilities.

Sam, a student at Warmley Park School in Bristol, came to Airbus once a week for six weeks and his positive attitude, commitment to the job and friendly personality soon made him a valued and popular member of the team.

A record was kept of all Sam’s achievements during his time doing work experience and his achievements were put towards a diploma.

Jane Embling was part of the team who worked with Sam. She said: “Archiving is not a straightforward job, it requires concentration and attention to detail.

Jenny becomes President

Brian helps Indian orphans

It’s amazing how much Sam did in the time he had.”

Donna Douglas of Warmley Park School said: “The support from employees at Airbus has been essential in ensuring Sam feels valued and therefore comfortable to develop his independence and communication.”

And it wasn’t just Sam who gained from the experience.

“He was a great asset to the team and helped raise awareness in disability and diversity…”

– Sam’s colleagues at Airbus

Wing engineer Brian McCarthy is giving up his free time to teach mathematics to orphans.

Brian relocated to Bangalore and said he was compelled to help after seeing the very visible poverty in the city and the chasm between the richest and the poorest people.

Volunteers help family Volunteers from Airbus gave up a Saturday to redecorate five rooms in a run-down property in Bristol. They teamed up with the charity Shelter because they wanted to do something to support a family in need within the local community.

Sleep out for homeless Four hardy employees took part in a sleep out at Bath Racecourse organised by the charity Amber which supports disadvantaged, unemployed young people. The team, who work in engineering, raised more than £1,000 in sponsorship.

Send us your feedback We’d like to hear what YOU think of Horizons. If you have any comments, please email your feedback to: feedbackuk@airbus.com or write to: Horizons Feedback, Freepost Airbus UK, Communications Department, Pegasus House, Aerospace Avenue, Filton, Bristol. BS99 7AR

007

008

Horizons Community Review 2014

‘fun’ Putting the

into

fundraising

A

s well as the old favourites, employees have been coming up with new and inventive ways of raising cash and getting involved.

UK Charity Campaign Manager Phil McGraa said: “Our Filton colleagues have done an incredible job!

They’ve run marathons, climbed mountains, cycled thousands of miles, grown moustaches, shaved their heads, dressed up, worked in onesies and eaten lots of cakes! And as well as all that, volunteers have been giving up their free time to help local people in need.”

During 2013, employees raised a total of just under £200,000 for charity. Of this £126,000 was specifically for Alzheimer’s Society. The partner charity was chosen via an employee vote and will run until summer 2014, when a new partner will be selected.

The fund-raising efforts of Airbus employees have been so successful that they’ve even been recognised in the House of Lords. During a debate about dementia, Lord Barry Jones praised the company and its staff describing them as “great people; skilled and caring citizens.”

It’s been an action-packed twelve months of fund-raising for the Airbus Charity Challenge partner charity Alzheimer’s Society.

Popular Bristol band Doing Time, fronted by Filton’s Early Careers Manager Tony Rooke, raised £3,500 to be divided between St Peter’s Hospice and a local fund to help a child with disabilities.

Five employees walked 2km with their ankles tied together for Comic Relief, graduates cycled 150 miles from Filton to the North Wales site at Broughton in just 48 hours and an 18-strong team competed in the Race for Life and raised £1,500.

Volunteers gave Coniston community centre in Patchway a much-needed makeover as part of a collaboration with Miller Construction, the team who worked on the Airbus Aerospace Park. The centre is used for craft, educational and exercise classes as well as social events.

Filton employees walked 14,867 miles between them as part of the Walk Around the World fundraising and fitness campaign. Organiser Terry Cother said: “Collectively we have managed to burn 3,355,956 calories which equates to 7,443 creme eggs!”

The Procurement Golf Day at Bristol’s Kendleshire

Golf Club raised £17,000 for Charity Challenge. It was organised by Jodie Shields who said it had been an exciting and enjoyable day.

Airbus graduates reached the semi-finals of the annual dragon boat races at Bristol docks and divided the money they raised between Alzheimer’s Society and the Jessie May Trust.

A graduate team also came up with a new concept to help stimulate and entertain people living with dementia. Called ‘Pass the Ball’ it’s a lightweight sphere designed to help prompt memories and instigate social interaction.

Bethan Wood, Corporate Fundraiser, Alzheimer’s Society said: “We are delighted with the support we have received from Airbus. The enthusiasm from employees has been fantastic and the fun events have been a brilliant way to help raise much needed funds to help us support people living with dementia and their carers and also to raise awareness of dementia.”

“…We are delighted with the support we have received from Airbus…”

– Bethan Wood, Corporate Fundraiser, Alzheimer’s Society

Prize draw terms and conditions to win £250 Thomson and First Choice Travel Gift Cards – To enter the prize draw, please click on the link opposite.

Closing Date: 29 May 2014.

All entries must be received by 17:00hrs on 29 May 2014.

The winner will be notified by telephone on or before 5 June 2014.

© AIRBUS OPERATIONS LTD. Filton, BS99 7AR, United Kingdom, 2014. All rights reserved.

Airbus, its logo and the product names are registered trademarks.

Concept design by Graphic Design Services +44 (0)117 936 4451. Printed in United Kingdom. Reference 9400-06, March 2014.

Winners will be randomly selected and witnessed by a nominated person. Only the winner will be notified once the selection is made, no further correspondence will be entered into.

By entering the prize draw, you agree to the data that you provide to be held by Airbus for the purpose of this competition. Your details will not be passed to any third parties.

Unanswered or partly-answered questionnaires will not be valid and so will not be entered into the draw.

The gift card prize is valid for the named winner only and is non-transferable. There will be no cash alternative.

The prize draw is free to enter.

The gift card can be used as full or part payment for travel products at all Thomson and First Choice travel shops and superstores.

The card can’t be used as payment, or exchanged for, travel moneyrelated products, including currency, travellers’ cheques and prepaid cards.

The card can’t be exchanged for cash or to buy another gift card.

The card will expire after 24 months of non-use and any remaining balance will be deducted.

The maximum account balance allowed at any one time is £5,000.

The card must be treated as cash, and the balance can’t be refunded if it’s lost, stolen or destroyed.

You can find out your balance by phone, in-store or on the web.

Cards can’t be redeemed over the phone.

The card is not applicable online for Thomson Ski, Thomson Lakes, Thomson Worldwide or First Choice Ski.

To find out more about Airbus click on airbus.com

Airbus

@airbus