On 17 Aug 57, a month after turning 17, I flew solo in a tiger Moth at Thruxton after 6 hours tuition from scratch. No drama, but will never forget the sheer fun of it. Big thrill soloing the Gnat at Valley! Wow! Far more worry though when age 24, as a RAF JP3/4 QFI at Church Fenton, I was sending young guys solo. Two nearly gave me heart attack!