http://icnewcastle.icnetwork.co.uk/e...dline=plane%2dcrazy-name_page.html
He's too young to drink and too young to vote - but high flier Michael Holmes is on cloud nine after earning his wings.
Aged just 16, the GCSE student has just made his first solo flight over Northumberland.
He took off from Newcastle Airport in a single engined Piper Warrior plane on a 15-minute, 30-mile round trip into the record books.
Michael is currently the youngest member of the Northumbria Flying Club and is now one of a handful of people in their mid-teens who have flown alone from the airport.
His successful solo flight came after 16 accompanied flying lessons and convinced Michael, a pupil at Morpeth's King Edward VI High School, that the sky is the limit for his career ambitions.
The solo flight is the first step towards his dream of captaining a Boeing superjet on routes across the world.
"It was absolutely fantastic to go solo and such a privilege to go up on my own because there was nobody else telling me what to do. It is an experience I will never forget," said Michael.
His soaring ambitions started at home in Stobhill Manor, Morpeth, two years ago when he was bought a computer flight simulator programme.
"I got the programme for Christmas and I was never off it. Then my dad arranged for me to have a flying lesson and I was hooked right away," he added.
Michael was just 14 when he made his first taster flight and since then has had roughly one lesson a month.
His dad Terry, 56, said he was probably more nervous than his son as he watched him taking off for his first solo flight.
"I could hardly watch the take-off, I was so nervous, but I was so proud when he touched down."
Mum Lynne, 47, had to stay at home while Michael flew his solo, because she was looking after his seven-year-old sister Bethany, who has just had tonsil surgery.
"But he called me as soon as he landed and said `I've done it!'," she said.
"It was a wonderful feeling and we are so proud of him.
"We're also pleased he's so determined to become a commercial pilot because he's 110% focused on what he wants to achieve and is working hard to achieve it."
Michael needs two more solo hours and further navigation training on a Piper Warrior over the next 12 months before he can sit a crucial exam.
If he passes he will take a flying test with an examiner, who will decide whether to grant him a private pilot's licence.
Once he has his PPL he will have to log another 1,000 solo hours before he will be able to look for an airline company willing to sponsor his commercial pilot training.
"I should have my private pilot's licence by the time I'm 17 and I want to become a flying instructor to build up my hours," he said.
"Then I will be getting in touch with airlines to see if I can find one to sponsor me."
I wonder if he actually said 'Boeing superjet'. Gotta love the media!
This seems very young, how common is this?
[Edit: line spacing]
[Edited 2006-01-31 10:35:47]
. Now working towards finishing my PPL while still 17.
