Before Jonathan Mauchline had even sat his car driver's license, he was flying solo.
And on Tuesday he celebrated his 17th birthday by getting his private pilot license at the Wanganui Aero Club.
His passion for flying stems from childhood memories of being seated on a cushion in the cockpit of the plane while his father completed his training.
"I've been interested in flying pretty much my whole life and I guess that's come from dad's love for it."
Getting his private pilot license meant taking six theory exams, that he has sat over the last year, and clocking up his flight time hours.