'I flew a plane for the first time and this is how I got on at 2,000ft in the air'

When a flight training school saw a upturn in enquiries from women wanting to take to the sky, reporter Kirsty Barrott wanted to see what the fuss was about - and join in

Upon arrival at the airfield you are met by a friendly group of aviation enthusiasts as you fill in your temporary membership details.

Christopher Shepherd-Rose, director and co-founder of Skyward Flight Training, said: "Previously we have had a majority male interest in flying but for an unknown reason more women than ever before are joining our school."

Before the flight began I was taken into a room and briefed on how the basic mechanics of the plane worked - turning left and right using my feet took a while to get my head around.

Similar to the age at which you can drive a car in the UK, a private pilot license can be obtained from 17 years old, but you can fly solo from the age of 16.

A daunting concept as a 24-year-old even with a driving licence - I did not feel prepared to fly a plane.

After the briefing we headed to the plane, accessing the door of the four-seater taking care to only step on the marked areas and not the wing, which is much harder than you would expect.

Once I plugged in my headset and adjusted the mic, the engine was switched on and the concept of flying became real.

Nervous is an understatement for how it felt, as I opened the throttle and we got the plane ready to taxi.

After Chris completed the power checks, I radioed that we were ready to go.

Opening the throttle all the way, upon Chris' instructions I lifted the nose of the plane and suddenly we were airborne.

I had no idea how much I had missed being in a plane, having not flown since the start of the pandemic (although as a passenger, not a mock pilot!) the feeling was one of elation.

It costs £85 for a taster session, yet for me the knowledge I have flown a plane is worth so much more.

Sat at 2,000ft the view was second to none as the trees and people below look like something out of a toy train set.

After flying around the airfield - Skyward is based at Rougham Airfield near to Bury St Edmunds - it was time to head back down.

This bit was trickier than take-off as it's important that you come down at the right speed and that the nose of the plane is in the correct position.

Once we reached around 250ft Chris took over and smoothly landed us back onto the ground.

The average price to obtain a private pilot license with Skyward is £10,620.