Kent airport to 're-open' for one weekend with 100 aircraft - for really sweet reason

Manston Airport, which has been closed for 10 years, is set to host a rare 'fly-in' - for a really sweet reason.

A Kent pilot has helped to organise a charity fly-in, inspired by his much-loved wife who has terminal brain cancer. Aviation enthusiast Chris Knight owns a French Emeraude aircraft built in 1958 and has jointly arranged the event at Manston Airport, in Ramsgate.

The fly-in will run from Friday, May 24 to Sunday, May 26 and is being held to raise funds for several charities, including Brain Tumour Research. The grandfather-of-four, from Gillingham, said: “It’s currently closed as an airport and the owners, RiverOak Strategic Partners, have been quite accommodating and let us organise a couple of things there, so we thought we’d do this for charity.

“We’re really grateful to them for making the airfield available and to Light Aircraft Association Kent Strut for making this happen. Flying’s always been a passion of mine but it’s a bit weather dependant. There’s always the possibility of having a wash out, but we managed to extend this to a long weekend, so hopefully we’ll get some good weather.

“People will pay a suggested £15 landing fee, which is what will go to charity, and we’ve managed to arrange some free buses into town. Also, with a runway nearly 3km long, it’s been hinted there might be a few bigger visitors and some staff with vintage transports from the war might do a fly-by, so there’s a fair bit still up in the air.

“But there should be a good variety of aircraft, maybe about 100, and a few from the continent, France and Holland, so a bit of international stuff as well. I’m really looking forward to getting together with people who have similar interests.”

The 66-year-old’s support of Brain Tumour Research comes after his wife, Carol, was diagnosed with a glioblastoma (GBM) – a highly aggressive form of brain cancer with a devastatingly poor prognosis of 12-18 months – following a seizure in January 2022. Carol, aged 59, is now on palliative care having undergone two debulking surgeries, radiotherapy and chemotherapy.

Chris, a retired IT project manager, said: “Every six to eight weeks, she has another seizure and tends to be hospitalised for a few days before getting on a more even keel. She also struggles with her speech and comprehension now. We don’t know what tomorrow will bring, we could have days, weeks or months.”

He added: “The thing that struck me is how this can happen to anybody out of the blue. One day everything’s fine and the next your life gets turned upside down. Watching someone you love go through this brings it into focus and it’s frustrating there’s been no real progress in terms of treatment for GBM in decades. My family wants to do what we can to help, which is why our sons have done runs for the charity previously.”

Charlie Allsebrook, community development manager for Brain Tumour Research, said: “With one in three people knowing someone affected by a brain tumour, Carol’s story is, sadly, not unique. Brain tumours kill more men under 70 than prostate cancer, more women under 35 than breast cancer and more children than leukaemia.

“We’re determined to change that but we can’t do it alone. We’re really grateful to Chris for helping to organise this charity fly-in and we wish everyone involved a lovely weekend. Together we will find a cure.”

To find out more about Brain Tumour Research, visit www.braintumourresearch.org.