fly2help
fly2help is a small UK aviation charity delivering bespoke flight experiences (Air Smiles) to families in crisis and aviation career outreach (Aim High) to young people aged 5–25, funded through donations, corporate sponsorship, and fundraising events from its base at Gloucestershire Airport.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2006
- HeadquartersKemble, United Kingdom
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What fly2help does
fly2help is a UK-registered charity (Charity Number 1119846) founded in 2006 and headquartered at Gloucestershire Airport in Staverton, Cheltenham. It operates two core programmes: Air Smiles Days, which deliver bespoke light-aircraft and helicopter flight experiences to families and small groups facing difficult life circumstances (illness, bereavement, isolation), and the Aim High Programme, which introduces young people aged 5–25 to aviation careers through Travelling Airport school visits, Airport Taster Days, and week-long cadet programmes. The underlying delivery model is volunteer-led, drawing on a network of active aviation professional pilots, partner flying schools (Aeros Flight Training, Cotswold Aero Club, Bristol Aero Club), and Gloucestershire Airport as the home base. Product differentiation rests on the unique integration of respite flights with career outreach, supported by an unusually high-calibre patron roster.
The organization runs on a lean operational footprint of two paid staff (Carly Bauert, Charity Business and Programme Manager; Sharon Walters, Finance and Bid Manager) plus a board of six trustees and a wider volunteer network. Revenue is generated entirely through charitable giving rather than commercial contracts, including recurring monthly donations (suggested £5/month), one-off donations via JustGiving, PayPal Giving and text-to-donate (via Donr at £5/£10/£20 tiers), corporate project sponsorship at £500–£5,000 per programme, and ticketed fundraising events such as quiz nights (£12/table), Winter Balls (£75/person at Hilton Puckrup Hotel) and Gala Dinners (£120/person at the RAF Club, London). Fundraising events such as wing walking (£15,000+ raised) and a Dawn to Dusk flying challenge (£3,000+ raised) supplement these streams.
Go-to-market is direct-to-consumer to beneficiaries (website nominations, partner charity referrals) and direct-to-donor for fundraising (event-driven with a digital follow-on via Mailchimp newsletter, social channels, and earned media). Corporate partnerships with Yorkshire Housing, the Air Charter Association, and Positive Footprints extend reach into schools nationally. In 2025, fly2help supported 1,500+ beneficiaries with a 4.75/5 average feedback score, and the organization is preparing to celebrate its 20th anniversary in August 2026.
fly2help firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- fly2help
- Legal name
- fly2help
- Website
- https://fly2help.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2006
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- fly2help is a small UK aviation charity delivering bespoke flight experiences (Air Smiles) to families in crisis and aviation career outreach (Aim High) to young people aged 5–25, funded through donations, corporate sponsorship, and fundraising events from its base at Gloucestershire Airport.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
fly2help industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Aviation Charity Services
- NAICS
- Nonscheduled Chartered Passenger Air Transportation (481211)
- SIC
- Air Transportation, Nonscheduled (4522)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Private Aviation Experiences (Charters, Scenic Flights, Helicopter Tours) (THAJALAF)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Scenic & Sightseeing Helicopter Tours (THABAGAE), Helicopter Sightseeing & Scenic Tours (TLAFACAD)
Keywords
Where fly2help is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Kemble
- HQ country
- United Kingdom
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
fly2help business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others
Revenue model
- Donations: Recurring monthly donations (suggested £5/month) and one-off donations via JustGiving, PayPal, and text-to-donate service
- Text Donations: Text-to-donate service via partner Donr, allowing donations of £5, £10, or £20 via mobile
- Event Ticket Sales: Sale of tickets to fundraising events including quiz nights (£12/table), winter balls (£75/person), and gala dinners (£120/person)
- Corporate Sponsorship: Corporate donations and project sponsorship ranging from £500 for individual Air Smiles days to £5,000 for full Aim High cadet programmes
- Fundraising Events: Community fundraising activities including wing walking (£15,000+ raised), dawn to dusk challenges (£3,000+ raised), and half marathons
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Monthly | Monthly recurring donation |
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | Quiz Night tickets |
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | Winter Ball 2025 |
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | Gala Dinner 2025 |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Project Sponsorship |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Text-to-donate amounts |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels5 records
Marketing channels8 records
fly2help product offering
Product offeringCore offering
fly2help is a UK aviation charity that delivers Air Smiles Days — free flight experiences for families with a child facing serious illness, disability, or bereavement — and the Aim High Programme, an aviation-career outreach initiative including the Travelling Airport, Airport Taster Days, and Aim High Week for young people, particularly those from underrepresented backgrounds. Operations are supported by a volunteer pilot base at Gloucestershire Airport and funded through donations, sponsorships, and ticketed fundraising events.
Product overview
fly2help is a small aviation charity operating two core charitable programmes: Air Smiles Days providing bespoke flight experiences for families facing adversity, and the Aim High Programme offering aviation career inspiration through travelling airport visits, airport taster days, and week-long cadet programmes. The charity also raises funds through ticketed events including gala dinners, winter balls, and quiz nights. The organisation functions as a traditional charity rather than a technology product platform.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Air Smiles: Programme providing days of respite for families or groups of people going through difficult life experiences, offering flights in light aircraft or helicopters.
- Aim High
Products and services
- Air Smiles Days Free flight experience programme delivered to families with a child or dependent facing serious illness, disability, life-limiting condition, or bereavement; beneficiaries are nominated via the fly2help website or through partner hospices and support organisations.
- Aim High Programme Aviation-themed career outreach programme for young people, particularly those from underrepresented backgrounds in the aviation sector, encompassing Travelling Airport visits, Airport Taster Days and Aim High Week activities booked via schools and youth organisations.
- Travelling Airport Portable aviation outreach experience that brings aviation-themed engagement to schools and youth groups as part of the Aim High Programme, exposing young people to aviation careers.
- Airport Taster Day Structured airport-based taster activity for young people participating in the Aim High Programme, offering hands-on exposure to aviation environments and careers.
- Aim High Week Intensive multi-day Aim High engagement activity for young people, providing deeper exposure to aviation careers as part of the wider Aim High Programme.
- fly2help Gala Dinner Annual ticketed fundraising dinner for supporters, sponsors and beneficiaries of fly2help, with sponsorship packages offered at tiered price points.
- fly2help Winter Ball Annual ticketed Winter Ball fundraising event for fly2help supporters and sponsors, with sponsorship tables offered at tiered prices.
- fly2help Quiz Nights Recurring ticketed community quiz nights used by fly2help to raise funds and engage local supporters.
Quantifiable outcome
- 1,500+ beneficiaries supported in 2025 alone
- +4 more outcomes
Companies that use fly2help
Customer profileNamed customers7 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
fly2help technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature3 records
fly2help partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Ten partnerships are on record, tiered major, core and minor.
- Polly Vacher MBEmajorPatron of fly2help since January 2025. A trailblazing aviator who made history as the first pilot to complete a solo flight around the world via the North Pole and Antarctica in a single-engine aircraft. Provides inspiration and motivation to beneficiaries through her remarkable achievements.
- Phill O'Dell CBEmajorFounding Patron of fly2help. Former Director of Flight Operations for Rolls-Royce plc, with extensive experience flying military and commercial aircraft including Spitfire, A380, and Boeing 787. Developed the founding vision for the charity's mission.
- Air Marshal Sir Dusty Miller KBEmajorPatron and former Senior RAF Officer, recently retired High Sheriff of Gloucestershire. Provides advocacy and connections within aviation and military communities.
- Mike Ling MBE FRAeSmajorPatron and former Red Arrows pilot. Provides inspirational presence and connects the charity with professional aviation networks.
- Mandy ShepherdcorePatron and military/wildlife artist. Contributes artistic talents and supports awareness raising.
- Positive FootprintscoreEducational partnership delivering careers programmes to primary schools. Fly2help provides travelling airport experiences while Positive Footprints coordinates school outreach. Partnership enables reach to schools nationwide with joint funding from corporate sponsors.
- SkyborneminorAviation training academy at Gloucestershire Airport providing hangar space for fly2help's 20th anniversary celebration event.
- Gloucestershire AirportcoreHome base for fly2help operations. Provides facilities, hangar access, and support for Air Smiles Days and Aim High programmes.
- Aeros Flight TrainingcoreFlying school at Gloucestershire Airport providing aircraft and pilots for Air Smiles Days. Donates flight experiences to beneficiaries.
- Gloucestershire Young CarerscoreLocal charity partnership delivering aviation-inspired experiences to young carers through Air Smiles Days and Aim High airport taster events.
Scale indicators8 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
fly2help competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Make-A-Wish UK: UK wish-granting charity for children with critical illnesses, often fulfilling aviation-related wishes (flights, pilot experiences). Competes with fly2help for beneficiary referrals and donor share in the same 'joy through flying' segment.
- Aerobility: UK charity providing flying and aviation experiences to people with disabilities, using donated aircraft and volunteer pilots. Closely comparable operating model to fly2help's Air Smiles programme, including in-kind aviation support and beneficiary-focused flight days.
- Dreams Come True: UK charity granting wishes to children and young people with serious and terminal conditions, including flight and aviation-themed experiences. Overlaps directly with Air Smiles' beneficiary profile and referral sources.
- Flying Start (easyJet): Aviation-sector charity linked to easyJet that helps disadvantaged young people access flying and aviation careers. Direct functional peer to fly2help's Aim High career-inspiration programme.
Others
- Help for Heroes: UK military charity that funds recovery and wellbeing activities, sometimes including aviation experiences for wounded veterans. Comparable donor-base and beneficiary-outcome storytelling, with some overlap in patron-network identity (RAF leadership).
- Royal Air Forces Benevolent Fund: Long-established UK charity supporting RAF personnel and veterans, frequently using aviation-themed events and experiences in fundraising. Shares patron-pool adjacency and military-aviation donor base with fly2help.
Broad incumbents
- The Air Ambulance Service: Larger UK aviation charity operating helicopters and fixed-wing aircraft, funded by donations and community fundraising. Larger-scale operator in the same aviation-charity space but focused on medical transport rather than beneficiary experiences.
Regional players
- Mission Aviation Fellowship (MAF) UK: UK-registered aviation charity operating aircraft to deliver humanitarian and remote-area services internationally. Comparable aviation-charity identity and donor demographic, though serving a different mission and geography.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat2 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
fly2help social profiles
Digital presencefly2help financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
fly2help leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles15 records
fly2help funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
fly2help M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about fly2help
What does fly2help do?
fly2help is a UK aviation charity that delivers Air Smiles Days — free flight experiences for families with a child facing serious illness, disability, or bereavement — and the Aim High Programme, an aviation-career outreach initiative including the Travelling Airport, Airport Taster Days, and Aim High Week for young people, particularly those from underrepresented backgrounds. Operations are supported by a volunteer pilot base at Gloucestershire Airport and funded through donations, sponsorships, and ticketed fundraising events.
Is fly2help a public or private company?
fly2help is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was fly2help founded?
fly2help was founded in 2006. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is fly2help based?
fly2help is headquartered in Kemble, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.
How does fly2help make money?
Five revenue lines are on record. Donations are the primary driver. The others are text Donations, event Ticket Sales, corporate Sponsorship and fundraising Events.
Who are fly2help's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Make-A-Wish UK, Aerobility, Dreams Come True and Flying Start (easyJet). Others are Help for Heroes and Royal Air Forces Benevolent Fund. The Air Ambulance Service is listed as a broad incumbent. Mission Aviation Fellowship (MAF) UK is listed as a regional player.
Does fly2help have an API?
No public API is recorded for fly2help.
What industry is fly2help in?
fly2help's product category is Aviation Charity Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is THAJALAF, Private Aviation Experiences (Charters, Scenic Flights, Helicopter Tours), with a secondary code of THABAGAE, Scenic & Sightseeing Helicopter Tours. Its NAICS code is 481211 and its SIC code is 4522.