A FORMER Rydal Penrhos pupil from Rhos-on-Sea has achieved his dream after completing a specialist pilot training course.

Alex Sharples, who left the school in 2016, was accepted on to the prestigious CTC Aviation School, which has seen him undertake a gruelling and highly advanced series of modules.

Part of this saw Alex reside in Hamilton, New Zealand, where he successfully completed his foundation flying training on a single engined aircraft the DA20 Katana.

The 21 year old also spent considerable time enhancing his skills in multi-engine aircraft DA42, and logged hundreds of hours of experience before returning to the UK for multi engine instrument rating.

After coming through his practical and written assessments with flying colours, Alex has now been offered a first officer position with EasyJet, where he will be flying the Airbus A320.

He said: “It’s been hard work. My first year was all theory exams. I had to do 14 exams in the space of six months, each exam is around 50 questions and it was a 75 per cent pass mark.

“Classes started at 8am and finish at 4pm Monday to Friday. I found each subject very interesting as it was about something I am very passionate about.

“For example learning the technical details to how aircraft generate lift, how aircraft use satellites and ground based navigation aids to navigate around the world, learning how to plan commercial flights with regards to fuel and mass and balance and a lot more.”