Pilot Beach Bar to The Pilot Inn

A young boy on his bike at the sea front, ahead a dark stormy cloud brews above.

Cooper Beattie contacted Aerobility at the beginning of 2026 to say that he was going to organise his own fundraiser for Aerobility.

“I have a huge passion for aviation and cycling and I’d love to see people who wouldn’t normally be able to have the opportunity to fly to make their dreams come true. That’s why I chose to carry out a cycling challenge of riding 18 miles from the Pilot Beach Bar in Folkestone to The Pilot Inn in Dungeness raise money for Aerobility.”

On the 14th of March, Cooper embarked on this inspirational journey:

“I completed the ride with my mum on Saturday 14 March as the weather forecast looked good! I started the ride in lovely sunny conditions at The Pilot Beach Bar on Folkestone beach at midday, continuing to ride along the seafront until I had to turn inland due to the Ministry of Defence firing range near Hythe being closed to the public (obviously!). By the time I arrived at Littlestone I realised I had received a puncture in my front tyre, so had to walk along next up the golf course until I could meet up with my dad who could then help me find and fix the puncture. In the meantime the weather had turned stormy and had begun to rain, but we managed to repair it and got on the way for the last 3.5 miles, finishing at The Pilot Inn Dungeness at around 5:30pm, watching many aircraft fly over from nearby Lydd airport as I finished.”

The whole Aerobility community thanks the wonderful Cooper and his mum for taking on this challenge and raising a wonderful £230 for the charity. If you are inspired by Cooper’s challenge, you too can organise your own fundraiser and our team will help you every step of the way.