adminCorrespondent
Zimbabwean-born, Seth Van Beek, who migrated to the UK after completing his GCSEs is now the youngest pilot in the UK at the age of 19.
Seth Van Beek received his licence after completing 18 months training and clocked up 150 hours in the air before he passed with flying colours.
In 2018, Seth was admitted at Egnatia Aviation Training College in Greece at the age of 16 after passing the extremely difficult entrance exams.
He enrolled for the intensive £85 000 flight school course and recently successfully completed the course.
The 18-year-old vowed not to disappoint his mother whom he credited for his success.
“Flying has always been my dream. There was nothing else that I had ever wanted to do, and there is nothing I would contemplate doing.”
He always dreamed of becoming a pilot since the age of eight so his mum Frances (42) decided to sell their three-bed home to fund his dream.
“As I grew up, my love for flying became a passion, and I’m so grateful that the experience of training didn’t discourage me, like training can.”
“If anything, I knew there and then this would be what I will do for my whole life. To be honest, I took very naturally to flying – there’s no feeling like,” he said.
Seth said he always felt safer flying in a plane, or flying one, than travelling on a bus or driving a car.
He encouraged youths to work hard to achieve their dreams.
“People have to chase their dreams, and I’ve been so lucky, being able to make my dream my career because of my mum.”
Seth, is now the UK’s youngest licensed commercial pilot, a record previously held by Luke Elsworth, who passed when he was 19. -mirror.co.uk
Online Reporter