A COLCHESTER teenager is giving flying lessons after qualifying for the job at the tender age of 16.
Kamil Bulak, 17, of Essex & Suffolk Gliding Club, is thought to be the youngest flying instructor in England.
The Colchester boy passed his exams while he was just 16 years old earlier this year, and has enjoyed instructing at the gliding club ever since.
Often confused with hang gliding, the sport of gliding involves flying aerodynamic gliders, which are vehicles which resemble aeroplanes but have longer wings, and do not possess an engine.
The unpowered aircraft flies using the same naturally occurring currents of air that are used by birds.
Kamil said: "It was definitely very rewarding knowing that I had managed to become one of the youngest instructors in the UK.
"It very much felt like everything I had done to that point had been worth it and had paid off."
Gliding is a not a very common activity in the UK, but it has a tight-knit and loyal fanbase.
Kamil ended up taking flight thanks to a lifelong passion for aviation.
He said: “For as long as I can remember, I had always loved aviation - I was sure I wanted to become a pilot the first time I flew on a commercial aircraft.
"At the age of 12, I stumbled across a YouTube video of a 13-year-old who documented his entire journey from his first few flights to flying solo at 14.
“As soon as I saw this, I knew this was something that I wanted to do. I had my first flight at 13 years old.
"The aim was to fly solo for the first time on my 14th birthday, however, due to Covid, this happened shortly after I turned 15."
Kamil added: “Becoming an instructor was something that I wanted to pursue very shortly after I started gliding.
"After going solo at the age of 15 and getting my license at 16, I decided I wanted to progress my skills further and give back to my gliding club and gliding in general."
Becoming a gliding instructor is not easy and Kamil was challenged on all sorts of scenarios to ensure he could handle any situation.
He said: “The training to become an instructor involved not only learning how to teach people, but also tests my flying skills to ensure that I could handle any situation that could arise, many of which almost never happen in day-to-day flying.
"The standard is set much higher than what instructors look for before you fly solo for the first time or when you get your license.
“Despite this, although I wanted to do as best as I could, and thus was slightly nervous, I would say that I actually really enjoyed the training to become an instructor.
"I was excited to improve my skills, especially doing flying exercises that you usually wouldn't do normally.”
He admits teaching people who are much older than him is not a normal scenario.
The young flying instructor said: “Teaching people that are older than me was definitely quite an unusual feeling at first.
"Many people I fly with are quite surprised when they realise how old I am and that I'm already an instructor.
“The oldest person I've flown with so far has been in their 50s, however, this number is constantly increasing. The youngest I've flown with so far is 15.”
Kamil is an instructor at the not-for-profit community amateur sports club, Essex & Suffolk Gliding Club, which relies on membership to keep the club running.
Based in Wormingford, on the site of a former Second World War fighter base, it runs gliding sessions on Friday, Saturday, Sunday, bank holidays and most Wednesdays.
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