Readers of this blog might not have seen our interviews page, which has profiles of some of our volunteers. Two of them are riders of The Flying Crane.

Andy Smith (pictured right) has been riding motorcycles since he was 17 and took his first advanced motorcycle test in 1983. He has taken several advanced tests since and currently holds a RoSPA Gold qualification. Andy and his wife, who have two grown up children, live in Peasdown St. John, which is ideal for reaching Bath as well as the other parts of the patch covered by The Flying Crane. Andy joined Freewheelers in 2006 and did his first duty just before Christmas in freezing weather. Andy's longest Freewheelers ride was carrying a CD-ROM from Southmead Hospital in Bristol to the Queen Anne's Hospital in Birmingham. He didn't pick up at Southmead until 10:30pm, so it was 2:45am before he got home. Despite that he is still with us! Apart from the blood bike, Andy rides a fantastic Aprilia Tuono 1000R sports bike.

Jason Phillips (pictured left) lives in Paulton, near Midsomer Norton, with his wife and two young children. He has been riding a bike for 10 years and currently owns a Triumph Sprint ST, which is a big 955cc sports-touring bike. Jason took his IAM advanced test in 2009, and continues to develop his riding skills. He joined Freewheelers in August 2009 and really enjoys riding for us - especially as he gets to travel down many different roads that he wouldn’t normally travel and says its great to make a note of those twisty and challenging roads for a dry summers evening to have a bit of fun. Jason doesn't like rain when he is out on the bike because of the reduced visibility from inside a helmet in the rain. On his first weekend of Freewheelers duty he completed over 17 calls that took him over 600 miles.

If you see Andy, Jason, or any other rider out and about on The Flying Crane be sure to give them a wave.