War hero, 99, takes to the skies
At the age of 99 former RAF pilot, John Trotman has not lost his need for speed or his love of being airborne.
To celebrate his birthday John, who lives near Hodnet, took the controls of a Cesna light aircraft for a flight from Sleap Aerodrome near Wem, Shropshire staking a claim as the oldest person still flying in the UK.
And while he now has instructor and friend, Keith Walker, sitting beside him for insurance purposes, Keith admits it often feels like it is John who is the instructor.
The pensioner is the holder of two Distinguished Flying Crosses from the second World War, one for his tour of operations as a Wellington bomber pilot, the other for operations in the elite Pathfinder Force.
Flight Lieutenant Trotman defied the odds of surviving as an RAF pilot in the war and was to clock up over 2,000 flying hours.
He walked away from three crashes.
When not on operations over Germany, he spent about seven months as a flying instructor at RAF Shawbury as well as spending time based at Sleap, Tilstock and Peplow.
So it was fitting that John’s flight on his 99th birthday took him back to RAF Shawbury where he landed for a short time before heading back to Sleap.
He credits flying to giving him his life back after the death of his wife in 2002.
“I decided to get back into flying to take my mind of things and contacted Shropshire Aero Club at Sleap.
"The members here have been absolutely marvellous.”
Struggling to sit in the small plane with his back - a long term result of wartime injuries - John sought help from a physiotherapist, who went on to become his second wife, Olwen.
“So flying brought us together as well.”
“I enjoy being in the air, I love the speed. Once you get the bug from flying you always have it.
"Its something you love or you don’t.”
