Document Type
Newsletter
Publication/Presentation Date
Spring 2026
Reflection
After a very dreich winter (dreich is a Scottish word meaning in this context, a period of wet dismal weather which just about sums up January and February 2026), March has brought ‘lions and lambs’ – it has been very cold and very hot, very wet and very dry, very sunny or less so and Storm Dave brought high winds and snow to parts of the UK. Those of us who live in the UK love talking about the weather – and we have had much to discuss during March and early April!
Spring brings us beautiful flowers; the daffodils and primroses in our garden have been spectacular this year and tulips are looking good. The trees are in blossom representing good things to come. Lambs are frolicking in the fields. And there is a lot happening this year to look forward to.
Embry Riddle Aeronautical University is celebrating its Centennial. In 1926, just over 20 years after the Wright Flyer’s historic flight, John Paul Riddle and T. Higbee Embry had a vision: to pioneer flight and to teach the world to fly. Fifteen years later, Riddle Field and 5BFTS were born. Without JPR and T. Higbee Embry’s contribution to aviation, 5BFTS would not have happened in the way that it did and we would not be marking 85 years since Riddle Field was established.
Those who go to Oak Ridge Cemetery in Arcadia on Memorial Day will be able to see changes made by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission (CWGC) to protect the British Plot and keep it safe for the future.
And in October, the BFTS DAY 2026, “WW2 Wings Across the Atlantic” will be held in Edinburgh. This very special event marks 85 years since the first British RAF cadets were sent across the Atlantic to train as pilots and earn their ‘Wings’ before returning to Britain to play their part in the Allied War effort. And it will be a chance for descendants and friends from all BFTS in the USA and Arnold Scheme airfields to join together and share experiences.
There is information about all these and more later in the newsletter so please keep reading!
‘Their efforts to preserve the freedom of the world were not in vain and will never be forgotten.’
Scholarly Commons Citation
Harding, J. A. (2026). 5 BFTS Association Newsletter No. 34 - Spring 2026. Retrieved from https://commons.erau.edu/bfts-clewiston-newsletters/33
