Island Life Magazine Ltd January/February 2006 | Page 16

HOBBIES - SPORT - LEISURE

Come fly with me Let’s fly away
It’s the dream of every schoolboy – not to mention many a dad –
to take to the controls of their own aircraft.
However, these days, the thrill of flying doesn’t need to be just a
dream because even here on the Isle of Wight, dozens of high-fliers
from all walks of life and all ages are taking to the skies for flying
lessons.
And it’s not just the boys either – in fact, women are increasingly
signing up for lessons and a certain little bird on the staff at the
Sandown Airport-based Fairway Flying school told us that women
can often be easier to train then men, at least in the early stages, on
account of their lighter touch at the controls.
Of course, learning to fly aeroplanes is not the cheapest of pastimes
– in fact it can call for an investment of over £6,000 to get in enough
flying time for a Private Pilot’s Licence. Which is why many new
students at Fairway Flying do their early training on microlights,
which are less expensive to hire by the hour, but still count in
training hours towards the pilot’s licence.
“Lots of people who want to try flying on a more limited budget
start on microlights” says seasoned pilot Chris Williams, a North
Wales-based businessman who took over the Sandown Airport last
autumn.
Chris, who has been flying his own craft into Sandown Airport every
week for three years to take care of his other Island-based business,
the nearby Fairway Holiday Park, decided to buy it as the perfect
complementary business – not just as the base to offer flying
lessons, but also pleasure flights for holidaymakers and residents.
He’s currently getting to grips with the flying business, which