About TCAHS Events
TCAHS Events was created in September 2023 to offer aviation enthusiasts and photographers affordable access to the UK’s wealth of warbirds, vintage and classic aircraft while supporting and promoting the future of historic aviation in the UK and further afield. We do this as an extension of the Thomas Castle Aviation Heritage Scholarship (TCAHS), to which the proceeds from all of our events are donated.
Thomas Castle and TCAHS
Thomas Castle was a regular and well-respected fixture at Sywell. Initially working with his father Ian to restore and maintain Tiger Moths. His insatiable willingness to learn and perfect his craft led to him striking up a friendship with the late Richard Grace and taking on work from Air Leasing across the airfield. Not only did Thomas work on Tiger Moths, but on the Spitfires, Buchons, Mustang and Thunderbolt in the Fighter Aviation Engineering and Ultimate Warbirds stables.
A talented and promising aviator as well as a skilled and knowledgeable engineer, Thomas regularly flew Tiger Moths and Richard Grace had predicted that Tom would have gone on to fly warbirds such as those he had worked on. Tragically, Thomas lost his life in an aerobatics training incident in August 2019.
The Thomas Castle Aviation Heritage Scholarship was established in 2020 to promote vintage aviation to young people and G-ANTE, the Tiger Moth which Tom had flown and maintained, was placed into trust at the heart of this scholarship. The aircraft has since been fown and operated in Thomas’ memory to provide post-PPL flying scholarships to allow young pilots greater opportunities within vintage aviation.
Each recipient of a scholarship receives five hours of instruction on the Tiger Moth. However, flying is just one aspect of the syllabus. Fostering engineering and aircraft husbandry skills - as well as an understanding and sympathy for both airframe and engine - are of equal importance to the continued operation of a historic aircraft.
Over the past five years, the scholarship has won the support and backing of respected and major players within the vintage aviation sector such as the Light Aircraft Association, Ultimate Warbird Flights, Vintage Engine Technology (Vintech), Sharman Avionics, de Havilland Support Ltd, Vintage Fabrics Ltd and Aircraft Coverings Ltd. Additionally, several well-known warbird and display pilots have offered their services as instructors.
For more information about TCAHS, to apply for a scholarship, or to fly in one of our Tiger Moths, please click here.