Aspiring Pilot and Jane Austen College Sixth Form Student Takes to the Skies in First Solo Flight

Year 13 student at Jane Austen College Sixth Form, Henry Higgins is well on his way to fulfilling his ambition of becoming a commercial airline pilot, having achieved his first solo flight from Norwich to Leicester. 

Henry is currently in his final year of his A-Levels studying Sociology, Classics and History, and last year, he completed his mathematical studies to aid with his flying theory exams.  

Alongside his studies, Henry is currently employed part-time at the Aerodrome, as he works to self-fund his pilot exams. Henry has been attending flight school at Norwich Aviation Centre and has completed seven of the nine exams so far with a 95% average and a total flight time of 44 hours. His solo flight was his qualifying cross-country from Norwich to Leicester to Duxford which took a total of three hours.  

Henry’s ambition for flying started at a very young age. He recalls being fascinated by aircrafts while travelling on holiday and was set on learning more about them. His ambition of flying commercially has only grown stronger over the years and he is determined to follow his dream.  

Henry said:  

“No feeling compares to the adrenaline of flying 190 miles across the country alone at 17, it's an accomplishment I never thought I'd achieve. My end goal is to fly commercially, and I am actively succeeding in this dream one step at a time.” 

Head of Sixth Form, Kirshen Porter said: 

“This is an incredible achievement. Henry has his sights firmly set on his goal of becoming a pilot and has worked incredibly hard to achieve this. We wish him all the best in his future exams.”