Harry wings his way to solo flight at 16

HIGH flyer . . . Harry Tait and flight instructor John Cheetham

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A TEENAGER celebrated his 16th birthday by taking to the skies to fly an aircraft single-handedly - a year before he can begin learning to drive a car!

Harry Tait, a pupil at Wardle Academy in Rochdale, started taking flying lessons at the age of 14 and has successfully completed a course allowing him to fly solo.

Harry has learned to fly at City Airport in Salford, the former Barton Aerodrome, based a few miles away from the Trafford Centre.

He has trained with flying instructor John Cheetham, from Oldham, who is based at Manchester Flight Training at City Airport.

Young pilot Harry said: "It was really exciting to be allowed to do my first solo flight on my birthday. I have to say I was also quite nervous.

"Taking off with only myself in the cockpit was a great feeling. However I did not expect the plane to ascend so quickly. This was because there was only one person on-board rather than two. But it was great to get up in the sky.

Amazing

"Landing the aircraft was an amazing experience too. Approaching the ground at speeds of 60 or 70 knots with only yourself in control really keeps you focused."

Harry hopes to become a professional pilot in the future. After taking his GCSE exams this summer at Wardle he plans to study A-level maths, further maths and physics at Rochdale Sixth Form College in the autumn. He said: "My first solo flight was a big milestone towards becoming a pilot. After my A-levels, I hope to enrol at one of the UK's commercial flight training schools. Training takes two years with trips to the United States and New Zealand.

"I'm really grateful to John for all his help and patience."

Harry is now working towards some longer solo flights across the UK to destinations such as Blackpool and Wolverhampton. However he cannot take any passengers with him until he gains a Private Pilot Licence - and he cannot apply for one until he becomes 17.

Instructor John Cheetham said: "Harry has sailed through his course and has been a pleasure to teach. He wants to become a commercial pilot as soon as possible after obtaining the Private Pilot Licence and he already has experience of a Boeing 777 simulator, which he has successfully landed three times.

Mr Cheetham (56) began flying 25 years ago. He felt he was too old to become a commercial pilot so became an instructor. As a youngster he attended North Chadderton School then Openshaw and Bolton technical colleges before joining ICI at Blackley. He later launched his own temperature control instruments business, which today includes clients in the north-west aerospace industry. Mr Cheetham flies light aircraft for both business and holiday travel, and has flown as far afield as Tenerife, Crete and Wick, in the far north of Scotland.

He said: "Getting to Tenerife requires a couple of stops on the way, in Bordeaux and north Africa, and takes about 16 flying hours.

"So it usually takes me two days in a light aircraft. Flights take four times longer than a big airliner - but a light aircraft is much more fun."