Teens take to skies as flying made more accessible
BBCA teenager who has recently taken to the skies says flying a microlight plane is "like being on a rollercoaster... but more fun".
Izzy, 13, from Salisbury in Wiltshire, is one of 2,000 pupils, aged 11 to 16-years-old, being given the chance to learn aviation skills.
British Young Pilots (BYP), which began in the West Midlands, said it was trying to make flying as accessible as possible to every young person, whatever their background.
Following her first flight, Izzy, who has autism and ADHD, said: "I'm proud of myself. I don't usually have anything to feel proud of."
Her mum, Emily, booked the week-long summer club after seeing an advertisement and described it as a "no-brainer" for her daughter to join.
She believes the club has given Izzy a "sense of purpose, joy and pleasure", which is "important for her wellbeing".
"It was just brilliant. I want to go again," Izzy said.
The teenager, who wants to be an engineer, said she now hoped to obtain her Private Pilots Licence (PPL) and fly planes in her spare time.
BYP uses professional simulator setups and aviation-based learning in the classroom to keep costs to a minimum before students take to the air with qualified instructors.
In less than two years, it has gone from 10 pupils to 2,000, with 10% of their students reported as neurodiverse.
Patrick Tame founded BYP in 2023 and was diagnosed with ADHD 18 months ago.
The former airline pilot believes that teenagers with neurodivergent conditions like ADHD and autism take to flying really well and are "exceptional pilots".
Tame said the ongoing objective of BYP was to be more "accessible to everyone", with bursaries also being offered to those from deprived backgrounds.
"I don't want anyone to not be able to do it," Tame said.
An ADHD UK spokesperson said "finding areas that positively lean into both personal passion and brain difference is one of the clearest routes to success, and piloting is absolutely one of those".
They said for neurodivergent people "it can show you that there is a place you fit, a place you can thrive, a future you can make for yourself".
Meanwhile, club ambassador Alex gained his pilot's licence on his 17th birthday earlier this year.
He said he knew from a very young age that he wanted to be a pilot, so when officials from BYP came into his school in 2025, he joined straightaway.
Within eight months, he was flying solo.
His advice for others wanting to have a go is simple: "Stick with it, the longer you can do something for, the better you'll get."
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