A birthday surprise flew South Woodham schoolgirl Holly Tucker straight into the record books at 16.
She has become the youngest-ever pupil at her flying school to make a maiden solo flight.
Watched by family and friends Holly, of Broughton Road, touched down to a heroine's welcome and her feet have hardly touched the ground since.
Holly Tucker
The flying-mad teenager was due to be taking to the skies again today, hoping to clock up some more flying time.
Holly, a pupil at William de Ferrers School, caught the flying bug a year ago when her parents treated her to a trial lesson for her 15th birthday.
''After that I was completely hooked,'' she said.
The solo flight came as a complete surprise as Holly was only expecting her usual lesson.
''I did not know I would be doing my solo until the last minute when the instructor got out and left me to it. I was certainly not expecting it,'' she explained.
The youngest a person can fly solo is 16 and Holly took over the controls on the actual day of her birthday.
''It was a great present,'' she added.
A spokesman for the Willowair Flying Club at Southend Airport, confirmed that she was their youngest solo flyer ever.
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