Aerospace Award winner named Young Historic Pilot of the Year 2024

Pictured above: Angus Noakes is presented with the Colin Dodds Trophy by Sir Gerald Howarth, photo by Howard Cook

Angus Noakes, who was awarded the Coachmakers’ De Havilland Scholarship in 2017, has recently been presented with the Colin Dodds’ Memorial Trophy for the Young Historic Pilot of the Year. Angus is a stalwart member of the Cambridge Flying Group and makes a significant contribution to the running of the group and the preservation of classic aircraft operations.

Angus started his working life at Vintage Fabrics Ltd, initially volunteering whilst at college and then working full time, primarily on fabric covering wings and flying controls and maintaining several aircraft including the Cambridge Flying Group Tiger Moths. One of his final projects was assembling the Fiat CR42 aircraft which is now based at Duxford.

Angus was awarded the Coachmakers’ Sir Geoffrey de Havilland Flying Scholarship and started to learn to fly the aircraft he helped maintain, but had to defer further training due to a change of circumstances and career, as Angus moved from big engineering to tiny engineering.

He left to study Horology at Birmingham City University, where his final ‘masterpiece’ project was designing, engineering and manufacturing a unique clock entirely by hand and with simple manual machinery. He was awarded a first class degree with a technical award from Cartier and has since joined Patek Philippe SA as a watchmaker, restoring and servicing its movements.

Re-establishing his career has enabled Angus to restart his flying training on the Tiger Moth aircraft of the Cambridge Flying Group and this year Angus flew his General Flying Test with the Shuttleworth Collection’s former Chief Pilot and Cambridge Flying Instructor Dodge Bailey, and so gained his private pilot’s licence.

Angus is a worthy winner of this year’s Colin Dodds’ Memorial Trophy for the Young Historic Pilot of the Year and is another successful member of the Coachmakers’ aerospace award alumni.