AN aspiring pilot who is chasing her dreams after 18 years has won £1,500 to reach her goals.

Emily Malone, from Tiptree, has wanted to be a pilot since her school days and loved anything to do with flying.

However, she wrote off those dreams when she discovered, at a careers fair when she was 15 years old, her asthma would rule her out of applying for the RAF.

This didn’t stop her passion for flying and in December she received a trial flight as a present for her 33rd birthday which pushed her to chase her life-long dream again.

Now, six hours into training with Seawing Flying Club in Southend, she has been named as the winner of the Light Aircraft Association and Pooleys spring solo bursary.

She is set to receive £1,500 to help her in reaching her first solo flight.

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Launched to celebrate Pooleys 65th anniversary this year, the bursary was aimed at an aspiring pilot of any age or background.

The winning entry was judged on the basis of the best entry answering the question: “Why do I want to fly?”.

Emily impressed the judges with her entry, which highlighted both her long-standing ambition to fly and a genuine passion.

Her full answer can be summarised in her final line.

She said: “Why I want to fly - because now I’ve found that part of me, I couldn’t bear to lose it again.”

Steve Slater, chief executive of Light Aircraft Association, said: “The competition’s been a huge success, producing lots of interest and a final shortlist of 60 entrants.

“Emily’s entry demonstrated a love of flying that lots of us share.

“We’re delighted that this will allow her to get to solo and likely beyond.”

Sebastian Pooley, managing director at Pooleys, has also provided Emily with a starter kit of pilot training materials worth £250.

He added: “On behalf of all the team at Pooleys, my congratulations to Emily.

“It was a great entry and I hope the award will be a really useful boost towards her training and we look forward to hearing how Emily is getting on.”