HIGH flyer Malcolm Bradford is celebrating 10 years taking photos from 5,000ft up.

Mr Bradford, of Leys Road, Wivenhoe, is a retired distributor of electrical goods.

However, at 74, he is by no means ready to take it easy.

Two or three times a week in the summer and once a fortnight in the winter, he takes to the sky in his vintage glider.

The 1958 craft is the oldest of its class still flying in the UK. It is in pristine condition and Mr Bradford takes the plane up for several hours at a time.

Mr Bradford said: “I had a glider before that, which needed replacing, so I contacted an airfield and spent six months fixing this one up. It still performs really well.”

His love for flying began with a birthday present, when he went for a trial lesson with son Neil, at the Essex and Suffolk Gliding Club.

Mr Bradford said: “I got hooked straight away. It’s definitely my main pastime. Even if it’s raining, there is always maintenance to do on the plane.

“It keeps me fit and active and you meet people from all walks of life.”

He usually stays within 200km of Wormingford Airfield and particularly likes flying around the Tendring Peninsula. The furthest he has been is Cambridge.

Mr Bradford flies between 2,000ft and 5,000ft to capture views from the sky. He said: “I have had a number of successes with photos. I like to take photos with clouds in and the light shining through.”

His wife Sylvia prefers gardening, although she is very supportive of his passion.

He said: “I think my wife is getting used to it. I have always been active, I used to scuba dive for many years and went all around the world doing that.

“My wife hates flying so I’m lucky she lets me do my thing.”

His most recent photo is of the Colne estuary, pictured above, and Mersea Island taken from an altitude of 4,000ft.