30th Anniversary of FEWP in Malta

This year I was awaiting the trip to Malta for the 30th anniversary meeting of the Federation of European Women Pilots (FEWP) with great anticipation. It was going to be the first time that I would attend a meeting in Europe, the only previous one being the one held in the UK in 2018 at Old Warden. The time finally came, and Sharon Nicholson and I packed, or should I say, over-packed, clothing and other things which might come in useful and set off for Stansted to catch our Jet2 flight to Malta International Airport.

Sharon has spent a great deal of her time on FEWP matters, including participating in the run-up to this meeting. The meeting includes a board meeting on the Friday, when her successor was to be chosen as the new President of FEWP. Sharon had been President for the previous four years! This was held on Friday, followed by the AGM on the Saturday morning.

After some tiresome sitting around in the hotel reception, waiting for the room to become available we finally settled in our room, which had a small sea view, and went to explore the locality, especially settling on a pizzeria, which, with a beer, was just what was wanted! Shortly after finishing our meal, the organiser of this year’s event, Tamara Pavlovic, came to join us. She told us about the latest developments in the organisation of the event, including that there was the possibility that, through a number of sponsors, everybody attending the event would have the possibility of flying either as P1 with an instructor or as a passenger in one of the 4-seaters such as the Reims Cessna 172. We were also able to view the Punto restaurant where the gala dinner was to be held on the Saturday.

As we had arrived a few days early, we had time to explore, so went on an excellent boat trip around the waters by Valletta and the three cities. A day trip and exploration of the island of Gozo on the back of a Jeep was to follow, and for me, a visit to the Malta Aviation Museum where I was able to get acquainted with its owner and director, Ray Polidano and also David Polidano who is the project manager for the Sea Gladiator Project. The objective is to get a flying Sea Gladiator, ‘Charity’ in about 12 years. I discovered that we had several mutual acquaintances, so our discussions ranged far and wide. They made me very welcome, and this was a fine precursor to the planned visit by the FEWP attendees on Saturday. I certainly discovered a lot about the museum and the history of aviation in Malta. I thoroughly recommend a visit to this museum if you happen to be holidaying in Malta.

By the time Friday had arrived, Tamara had organised free flights on Friday and Sunday for all participants. This was with the help of a large number of sponsors, including Diamond Aircraft Industries, Enemed (fuel provider) and the Professional Aviation Training Academy – Malta/Malta School of Flying. While I visited the museum, Sharon had been invited to fly the Diamond 50 company demonstrator as P1 with Diamond’s instructor, and Tamara Pavlovic and Clare Agius in the back seat.

The day continued into the evening at the glamorous Royal Malta Yacht Club, where the FEWP board meeting was held, followed by the welcome dinner. Here, welcome speeches were given by Dr Chris Bonett, the Minister for Transport, Infrastructure and Public Works, and by Lydia Abela, a practising lawyer and the wife of the Prime Minister of Malta. Several women pilots from KM Malta Airlines joined the welcome dinner. As I was sitting next to the Diamond Industries delegation, I was able to discuss the merits of the Diamond DA50 RG which Sharon had flown earlier in the day. A splendid dinner followed the speeches and the photo call.

Saturday started with the FEWP AGM on the top floor of the hotel’s Business Centre. Here it was announced that Monique Van Tilborg-Siméon was the incoming FEWP President, following Sharon Nicholson’s four-year tenure. Representatives of each of the countries at the meeting presented a brief report.

After the meeting, everybody gathered to be transported in a fleet of minibuses to visit the ancient city of Mdina. One of the minibuses catered for the two wheelchair users, thoughtfully organised by Tamara. We arrived later than anticipated at Mdina due to heavy traffic enroute and then, finding out that the approach road to the Malta Aviation Museum was going to be closed due to a football match at the adjacent stadium, everybody piled back onto the minibuses, and we headed for the museum.

We were met at the museum by Ray Polidano who led us to the main hangar where packed lunches were waiting for us. Ample seating was provided and soon everybody settled down to eat.

Once everybody had eaten, Ray introduced himself and talked about the history of aviation in Malta, including the construction of Felixstowe F3 flying boats in Malta Dockyard in 1918 to counter the U-boat threat against allied shipping in the Mediterranean. Incidentally, one of the most noteworthy U-boat commanders at the time was Captain Georg von Trapp of Sound of Music fame.

A tour of this hangar followed with Ray talking about the many exhibits, all of which having a strong Malta connection. A ladder was also placed to enable the cockpit of the Italian G-91R to be viewed. Iona Muscat, from the Air Wing of the Malta Forces, joined the group. She is a pilot flying the Agusta Westland AW139 helicopter in a multitude of different operations.

Ray led us through into the Air Battle of Malta Historical Hangar which, through its exhibits, including a Spitfire IX and a Hurricane IIa, told the story of the many battles over Malta. Incidentally, the Hurricane’s wings were covered with fabric by Clive Denney of Vintage Fabrics, now based at Audley End. There is a strong connection between Clive and the Malta Air Museum with many joint projects.

The final part of this visit was to see the Royal Navy Section, and then to see the work ongoing in the restoration of the Sea Gladiator ‘Charity’ and to chat with the project manager, David Polidano.

After saying goodbyes, the minibuses took us to the hotels for some free time before the gala dinner that evening at the Punto restaurant.

The gala dinner was certainly an impressive affair with the inside of the restaurant totally taken over by the FEWP participants as well as a table of sponsors and supporters. It was a great opportunity to mingle and chat with people from the 15 nationalities that make up FEWP. Finally, the birthday cake was cut and portions were shared out, as well as cup cakes with their decorations. Although this was the final event where everybody was together, activities continued into Sunday, at Malta International Airport, where the flying continued. This time it was my opportunity to fly in the back seat of the F172 with Sharon in the P1 seat. I thoroughly enjoyed the flight as I had the chance to take aerial photos of the various places we visited in both Malta and Gozo.

Tad Dippel