Welcome to Exodus Airsports

Rob Grimwood

CEO / Chief Flying Instructor (CFI)

Rob leads the Exodus team and has been flying in Microlights for close to 35 years and has been teaching people to fly for 27 years since the age of 18. Amassing over 14,000 hours flying experience – more than most airline pilots – he teaches on both fixed-wing and flexwing microlights. Rob set up Exodus Airsports at Plaistows in 2007.

Rob is a multiple World and European Microlight Champion in both fixed wing and flexwing aircraft. In total he has won10 international Gold medals making him the most successful microlight champion in history. Robs crowning achievement to date was once again becoming World Champion in 2024 in Exodus’s own DeltaJet along with his 16 year old son Will.

Rob also organised the microlight side of the World Air Games in Dubai in 2015, which is regarded as the world’s most prestigious flying competition, as well as organising the 2016 World Microlight Championships in the UK.

Rob is one of very few qualified instructors who are able to teach people to become instructors and he also examines instructors. He is also part of the BMAA panel who are responsible for overseeing microlight training standards in the UK.

For his microlight industry achievements Rob has been awarded the Royal Aero Club Gold and Silver medals, the highest achievement in UK aviation!

Rob also holds a Masters degree in Aeronautical engineering.

Richard Higton

MICROLIGHT INSTRUCTOR

Richard brings over 20 years of flexwing flying experience to Exodus Airsports. Originally honing his skills flying out of Barton in Manchester, he later moved to Plaistows and has been a flexwing instructor for Exodus since 2014.

Richard’s expertise extends beyond instructing; he’s a qualified Rotax 912 maintenance mechanic and is skilled in installing both BMW and Rotax engines and advanced instrumentation in Deltajet trikes.

With extensive flight experience throughout the UK and Europe – including France, Germany, the Czech Republic, and Hungary – Richard’s knowledge of diverse landscapes and airspaces is invaluable to his students.

From 2019 to 2022, he took on the rewarding role of instructing injured and sick armed forces veterans with Flying for Freedom, helping them master the freedom of flight.

Richard has also played a pivotal role in major events, serving as competition marshal at the 2015 World Air Games in Dubai and the 2016 World Championships in Popham, UK.

Giles Fowler

MICROLIGHT INSTRUCTOR

Giles is a passionate and dedicated flying instructor whose pathway to flying began with Gliding. He learnt to fly gliders in 1993 at Tibenham and solo’d at the age of 16. A few years later he gained his Private Pilots Licence at Norwich Airport in 1996 and continued to fly until he joined the Royal Air Force in 2000 as an Airframes Technician.

Over the next decade his flying passion was sustained through supporting the Air Training Corps (Volunteer Gliding Schools) as well as teaching Air Cadets their aviation related topics.

In 2009 Giles progressed once again towards manned flight by completing his Paragliding course and then gained his paramotor rating. This was the beginning of his flying record challenges, where he still holds the UK Altitude record of 21,746ft and the UKs longest non-stop flight of over 300 miles to raise money for charity.

In the last few years Giles progressed towards flying Sub70 kgs flexwing aircraft which led him towards gaining his NPPL and then the ultimate privilege of gaining his Microlight Instructor rating.

Above all, Giles is a passionate aviator and loves the joy of helping others take to the sky.