An Aberdeenshire teenager has made history this week.
On Friday, Finn Hilton became Scotland’s youngest qualified pilot, when he made his first solo flight on his 14th birthday from Deeside Gliding Club (DGC) at Aboyne.
Finn started learning to fly at the age of 12, when he first joined the DGC Junior Training Scheme at Aboyne.
In the last two years the Meldrum Academy pupil has clocked up over 50 launches, at times reaching heights of more than 2500m above Royal Deeside and the Cairngorm mountains.
Going from strength to strength, he celebrated his 14th birthday in style last Friday as he embarked on his very first solo flight.
On that day, he reached the legal minimum age in the UK to fly solo in a glider.
David Innes, one of Finn’s instructors, said that the young glider had impressed everyone at the club with his commitment and skill.
He said: “Finn has been ready to fly by himself for some time, but has had to wait until he turned 14.
“We’ve all been watching the weather forecast nervously this week, hoping the conditions would be suitable for a flight on his birthday.
“But all was fine, and at 10.40 this morning Finn was towed up to 2,000ft behind a tug and flew for 20 minutes before making a text-book landing”.
Finn’s maiden flight was watched from the ground by his mother, Hannah, and grandparents.
Mrs Hilton, who lives in Methlick, said she was “incredibly proud” of her son’s achievements.
Speaking yesterday from the ground as her son once more flew through the skies, 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.”
DGC sponsors junior pilots through their subsidised training scheme.
