Teenage pilot hopes to inspire other young people

An air cadet, who made his maiden solo flight when he was just 16, has been made a youth ambassador for the Duke of Edinburgh's Award Scheme.

Sam Curwen from Dursley, Gloucestershire, completed his Gold Duke of Edinburgh (DofE) award through the Bristol and Gloucestershire Air Cadets.

He described the experience as incredible and liberating, especially since he had not even driven a car at the time.

As one of 35 Youth Ambassadors for the DofE award, Mr Curwen will help promote the award scheme to people aged between 14 and 24, as well as promoting the opinions of people that age.

He took part in a flying scholarship which involved 12 hours of flying in the air with an instructor, before completing a solo flight.

Mr Curwen, who is now 20, has spent most of his life around flying. His father was in the Royal Air Force, his mother runs a local squadron of the air cadets.

He attended an Air Cadet Flying Scholarship in Dundee for the residential section of his Gold Award, which he describes as a highlight of his DofE experience.

"I don't really remember the first few minutes or the last few minutes because you are so focused on taking off and landing. However there's a five minute window when you're up there flying around, whatever you want to do," he explained.

Follow BBC Gloucestershire on Facebook, X and Instagram. Send your story ideas to us on email or via WhatsApp on 0800 313 4630.