Representation by Bryan Girdler
- Date submitted
- 6 October 2018
- Submitted by
- Members of the public/businesses
My family has run an aviation business at Manston which my father started in 1983 after he left the Red Arrows. The business, TG Aviation, had to move to Lydd and Pent Farm when Manston closed. 4 of the pilots trained at Manston were inspired to go on to become Red Arrows including Sqn Leader [Redacted] on the current team. I’m also a committee member of SMAa and I run a flying scholarship in my late father’s honour, the Ted Girdler Arrows Scholarship, which the leader of the Red Arrows helped me start the year Manston closed.
In that time TG ran flying scholarships for the RAF under contract and trained around 50 young people per year pre-selected for RAF entry, those who did not make it to be RAF pilots went on to join airlines or become flying instructors or other jobs in aviation, air traffic etc. My father was a Deal coal miner’s son, who flew as a cadet at Manston and went on to become a Red Arrow, a good way out of the limited job prospects in Thanet.
Manston can bring good jobs in aviation to Thanet, one of the most deprived areas in the south of England. My family’s business has shown the decline of Thanet over the years, it was not always like this. Even after the coal mines closed, Pfizer was open, the port of Ramsgate was fully functional, Hovercraft were operating, there were many private businesses based in Thanet (Triang Hornby), P&B metals who made switch contacts. The owners of those businesses used to fly with TG, but more importantly they provided good jobs locally, the area was vibrant well maintained and as a result was an attractive holiday destination. All of this feeds from the money earned and spent in the locality and taxes paid by well paid jobs, people on unemployment benefit and low paid jobs depresses the area.
Rebuilding Manston as a freight hub will provide high calibre jobs in the freight forwarding companies who are the people who really drive the freight industry. Manston will provide high calibre aviation jobs servicing planes, there is a backlog of planes waiting to be decommissioned due to changes in the way planes are built and a shortage of decommissioning / re-manufacturing plants. It is possible to fly in 3 planes and rebuild and 1 plane flies out 2 are decommissioned. Such work requires qualified aviation technicians, the training for this will inspire the young in Thanet much more than the low paid retail jobs that are the fate of many youngsters in Thanet.
The country needs Manston, it is a national asset, it is ready to go (will 4th runway at Heathrow ever be built?). Manston is especially needed for Brexit’s new cargo destinations. Heathrow is full, Gatwick wants it’s 15% capacity for passengers. Thanet needs the £479 million private investment to create those jobs, the country needs a cargo hub for London purpose built with high technology.