Sergeant Tom Nethacott of 2443 (Okehampton) Squadron RAF Air Cadets has earned his ‘wings’ after his first solo flight.

Sgt Nethacott was recently awarded an Air Cadet Pilot Scheme and as a result was taught to fly a single engine light aircraft.

The training took place at the Tayside Aviation Ltd in Dundee and involved eleven hours and forty minutes of inflight instruction with the first seven hours relating to specific principles of flight, with a detailed briefing being given before each sortie.

All of this training culminating in a twenty-minute solo flight in which Sergeant Nethacott earned his ‘wings’.

Sgt Nethacott plans to join the Royal Air Force as a pilot and he has recently been accepted to Oxford Brookes University. As part of his further education he intends joining the Oxford University Air Squadron as a route to a further career in the RAF.

‘This recent achievement can only add to his chances of success with his future endeavours,’ said a spokesperson for the Okehampton Air Cadets.