Pupils take to the air for unforgettable trip to school

For eight-year-old, James O’Malley, from Pool-in-Wharfedale, and 11 year old Vidya Premraj, from Adel, were flown into school by helicopter and landed on the cricket field, watched by their school friends, who had arrived for lessons by more conventional means.

The two lucky pupils from The Grammar School at Leeds (GSAL) Junior School entered a prize draw, which was part of the school’s celebrations of National Science & Engineering Week (NSEW) which runs until March 18, to win a surprise “unforgettable experience,” which raised over £300 for the Yorkshire Air Ambulance.

Vidya, travelling with her mum Mini Menon, said yesterday: “I didn’t find out how I was travelling to school until this morning. It was scary at first, but then we put the headphones on and couldn’t hear all the noise. It was really cool, I’d like to do it every day. School looks like a small village from the air, I didn’t recognise it at first.”

James said: “I was very excited. There was a good view.”

The NSEW theme is ‘Our world in motion’ and the helicopter landing was a learning experience for all the junior school pupils, who had a lesson with the pilot Mike Thorpe of Helijet on the science behind helicopter flight.