Well done Mady, you did better than me.
When I was 14 my godfather lobbied the CAA for permission for me to solo on my 15th birthday. The flight was to take place at Hethel Airfield in Norfolk (the home of Team Lotus) with Colin Chapman the keen sponsor of the event!
The CAA refused to 'budge' (despite my 300+ hours logged in dual-controlled aircraft with my godfather) and which upset Colin no end. Eventually he said to the Colonel
"To hell, with it .. its my helicopter and its my airfield .. we'll simply do as we bl**dy well want!" (or words to that effect). By this time Imperial Tobacco (John Player) had come on-board (through Colin) and saw this as a 'promotional opportunity' and were terribly keen for me to solo asap. The Colonel however had to explain that without CAA approval .. nothing much would happen and, as a result, the opportunity came and went.
With the possibility of achieving something new, now out of the window, I eventually soloed on my 17th birthday (enter Denissimo) under the watchful eye of the late Sqn Ldr Antonio 'Nobby' Clarke (ex-Queen's Flight).
As Dennis would know .. and as chance would have it (seeing as he had bought Colin's 206) I ended-up performing the solo on the very craft originally planned .. G-AYTF 'The Dancer' the ex-Team Lotus ship.
The FAA (from what I have heard) tend to be more adventurous in these matters and one of the youngest chaps to solo Stateside was
Jonathan Strickland who soloed a fixed-wing and a helicopter on his 14th birthday in 2006.
I am incredibly proud of Jonathan's achievements and find his passion for flight inspiring and have used him as an example with numerous aspiring aviators who in turn have been encouraged by his zeal and determination.
More about Jonathan
here.