THE sacrifice of local men during the Second World War has helped make the dream of a 21st-century teenager come true.
George Wootten, 17, a cadet with Welling’s 358 Squadron Air Training Corps, has just learned to fly at the air cadets’ flying school in Dundee.
George, of Lulworth Road, Welling, was able to achieve his life-long ambition thanks to a flying scholarship from the East Wickham and Welling War Memorial Trust, which was set up to commemorate the men from the area who died in the First World War.
The scholarship will preserve the link between modern youth and the Royal Flying Corps, which later became the RAF.
After nine hours training, George was able to fly solo and flew round Ben Nevis, the UK’s highest mountain, and landed safely.
He said: “Thank you for making a dream come true.
“I thoroughly enjoyed it, although the last solo had gusting winds, making the landing difficult.”
Welling 358 ATC is open to young people aged 13 and over who live in Bexley or Greenwich.
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