Flying high, glider pilot too young to take his driving test
THE closest most teenagers come to flying an aircraft is playing video games.
But schoolboy Finn Hilton became Scotland’s youngest solo glider pilot – on his 14th birthday.
Even though he will have to wait another three years before he is allowed to drive a car, the Meldrum Academy pupil made his first solo flight last Friday from Deeside Gliding Club (DGC) in Aberdeenshire.
Finn started learning to fly at the age of 12, when he joined the DGC Junior Training Scheme at Aboyne.
Over the past two years, he has clocked up more than 50 launches, at times reaching heights of more than 8,000ft above Royal Deeside and the Cairngorms.
And he celebrated his birthday in style, having reached the legal minimum age in the UK to fly solo in a glider.
David Innes, deputy chief instructor at DGC, said: ‘Finn has been ready to fly by himself for some time but has had to wait until he turned 14.
‘We were watching the weather forecast nervously, hoping the conditions would be suitable for a flight on his birthday. But all was fine and at 10.40am Finn was towed up to 2,000ft behind a tug and flew for 20 minutes before making a textbook landing.’
Finn’s maiden flight was watched from the ground by his mother, Hannah, and his grandparents.
Mrs Hilton, from Methlick, Aberdeenshire, was ‘incredibly proud’ of her son’s achievements.
She said: ‘He’s always wanted to fly as a child, so we got him a flight for his 11th birthday. We now come as many weekends as we can. He absolutely loves it and the club has been so supportive.
‘People tend to ask if I get nervous ahead of his flights, but I really don’t. I’m just so excited for him and Friday was just brilliant.’
She added: ‘We’ve obviously not been able to fly for a while due to the pandemic, so it’s just brilliant to see him in the skies again. His dream is to fly fast jets one day.’
The teenager was delighted to take his first solo flight.
He said: ‘It just felt great. I don’t really have any words to describe it. I’ve been ready to fly solo for two years, so I wasn’t nervous about it.
‘When I was up there I was concentrating on flying, procedures and checks – it really didn’t feel like I had flown the aircraft completely solo until I was back on the ground again.’
Finn hopes others will now think about giving gliding a go.
He said: ‘I’d absolutely encourage others my age to get involved. It’s just so brilliant.’
‘I wasn’t nervous about it’