If you harbour a secret fear of flying, or if the sight of men and their machines pushing each other terrifyingly close to the max makes you go all gooey at the knees, then this article may not be for you. If, on the other hand, you’re the white knuckle type who stands in awe as the masters of dangerous pursuits hover on the edge of the abyss, then you’re going to love Tom Cassells.

Tom Cassells, the hero of our story, is a kind of real life Clark Kent. During the week he’s Managing Director of Reed Boardall Transport Limited, the Boroughbridge, North Yorkshire chilled and frozen food distribution specialist. But come the weekend, he dons a flying suit and transforms into one of the most talented and amazing aerobatic pilots the world has ever seen – a real-life Superman if ever there was!

Starting with his transport activities, Tom has been involved with Reed Boardall since 1983 and became its Managing Director in 1992. Today, the firm has developed into a leader in its sector with assets that include the largest independent cold store in the country and a truck fleet numbering 160, more than half of which are Scania.

“The company is a key supplier to us,” says Tom Cassells. “Our vehicles are invariably worked hard and Scania trucks stand up well to the pressure. They’re reliable, fuel-efficient and I have to say I can’t actually envisage a situation where they wouldn’t be considered for our fleet. In fact, our experience with Scania has been extremely positive all round, so much so that I’d go as far as to say they would probably be our preferred option. 

“We take our trucks from Scania (Great Britain) Limited’s Thirsk depot on all-inclusive three to five year contracts and they average 120,000 miles per annum in a non-stop supply chain operation. We plate at 44 tonnes and are currently specifying 480 hp twin-steers – but I can see that increasing in the future, as we are always looking to minimise our journey times. When we moved from 420 to 480 hp, that knocked 20 minutes off a run from London to Glasgow, so to me higher horsepowers make good sense.”

However, despite his eloquent appreciation of the vehicles he operates, for Tom Cassells there is another mode of transport which has to take the ultimate accolade – and that’s his CAP 232 aerobatic plane, construction number 15.

Aerial wizardry
At Yorkshire’s Sherburn Aero Club, it sounds as if an angry wasp is approaching. From a distance, it even looks a bit like one. But when it comes to aerial wizardry, the CAP 232 has a sting in its tail like no other – more on which as soon as we’ve come up with enough suitable superlatives! 

The buzz of the 300hp engine heralds the arrival of Tom Cassells at the airfield, where he is joining us for a photoshoot. And he doesn’t hang about. Before you  can say ‘Roger and Out’ he’s landed, taxied up to the clubhouse, flicked open the canopy and is standing alongside us on the apron. “So, what would you like me to do?” he enquires.

We’d bought along a prop for the day – a new R-series tractor unit complete with Reed Boardall trailer – and suggested it would be good to get some shots of the CAP 232 over-flying the rig. “No problem,” came the reply as Tom simultaneously ushered us into the Pilot’s Briefing Room. “Let’s talk about it…”

As the briefing unfolded, there was no doubt we were in for an extraordinary show. A two-times British aerobatic champion and a member of the British team which took bronze at this year’s European Aerobatic Championships, (among many other accolades), Tom Cassells routinely performs feats at which mere mortals can only gasp. 
“I’ll be coming over at 180,” he says. “Feet or metres?” we ask sheepishly. “No, that’s speed, 180 knots. I’ll be at about 30 feet.” 

Now, 30 feet is about the height of the average house. So just imagine for a moment flying at roof-top level in a light aircraft at Formula One speeds – and with  a 4-metre truck beneath you for good measure. “Oh, and I’ll do it upside down as well,” adds Tom, as any remaining colour drains from our faces. 

What Tom has promised goes far above what’s demanded in international flying competitions. “It’s quite high on the aerobatic Richter scale, not much room for error,” he confesses. “We wouldn’t normally do this sort of thing at 30 feet. 

“Competitively, I fly at Unlimited Level, which is the highest category. In international events that involves a number of routines, including a freestyle performance, a specialised technical discipline known as Aresti and a programme set by the host nation which we do not get to see before the competition.”