A TEENAGE flying student took off in a newly-refurbished aircraft from Dundee Airport yesterday in honour of the dying wish of an “inspirational” female pilot.

After a three-month transformation, G-EVIE—a PA28 Piper Warrior—was back in the skies training students, the long-standing wish of Evie Saunders, who died of cancer in 2004.

The plane was bestowed to Dundee-based Tayside Aviation by Evie’s niece Lorraine Richardson last year—primarily to benefit young people who have been awarded flying scholarships by the Air League Educational Trust.

Emma Wilce (19) yesterday became the first student to take advantage of the new programme, and Lorraine said her aunt would have been delighted to see the lesson taking place.

Lorraine added, “She was a very inspirational person who just ate, slept and breathed flying.

“She would have been very pleased to know that the first person to do this today is a young lady who wants to take up flying as a profession.”

On her death in 2004 Surrey-born Evie surprised her family by leaving a bequest to buy an aircraft to train young pilots.

Tayside Aviation was settled on as the most suitable organisation to run the lessons due to its links with the Air League Educational Trust, and for the last three months they have been carrying out refurbishments to prepare the aircraft for use.

“We are absolutely thrilled, as I’m sure Evie would have been, that the aircraft will be used to teach young students to fly,” said James Watt, managing director of Tayside Aviation.

“Evie herself had a burning ambition to fly but, due to the war and other directions her life took her in, she didn’t actually pursue it until she was 64.

“Her fascinating life story makes it all the more fitting that her plane will be used to teach youngsters to fly and hopefully a new generation of new pilots.

“When Evie was ill she couldn’t fly at all but now Evie flies every day and, due to the refurbishment, she’s now as good as a brand new aeroplane.”

Although not awarded her pilot’s licence until the age of 68, Evie was awarded the Jean Lennox Bird Trophy for the most outstanding British woman pilot of the year in 1992.

She was also a dedicated fund-raiser for the Blenheim Society and belonged to the British Women’s Pilots Association.