A Broadstone teenager inspired by his Spitfire hero great-grandfather has become one of the country's youngest pilots after taking his first solo flight on his 16th birthday.

Seventy-five years after Squadron Leader Edgar Badcoe fought in the Battle of Britain, schoolboy Jake Groves has followed in his flightpath by flying a light aircraft singlehanded.

Sqn Ldr Badcoe was 'One of the Few' in World War Two and helped stop the German invasion of Britain by defeating the Luftwaffe in the skies.

He went on to pilot bombers and was twice awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross, the highest decoration in the RAF, for the part he played in dangerous missions over Germany in 1943.

Great-grandson Jake said he "felt like his spirit was up there with me" on his seven minute solo flight from Bournemouth Airport on Sunday - the day he turned 16, the youngest age you can fly a plane alone in the UK.

Jake said: "I was thinking how brave he was all those years ago. What he went through for our country was a really important part of this challenge.

Flying is in my blood, it's like second nature to me."

He added: "I felt really prepared, really in control, the freedom was incredible. I was born at 3pm and I landed at 2.57pm so technically I was still 15, which is cool."

Jake's dad Rob, 43, added: "We are very proud of Jake. His great-grandfather died seven years before he was born so he never got to meet him but he does have his old RAF logbooks. He is quite an old soul and does enjoy reading them.

"Certainly his great-grandfather has been a real motivation for what he is doing now."

Sdn Ldr Badcoe was serving in the RAF's No. 77 Squadron when he was awarded his first DFC for displaying great keenness and enterprise on numerous bombing raids over Germany. He was awarded a Bar to the DFC for displaying 'exceptional skill, great coolness and determination' after his bomber was badly shot up by machine gun fire over Dusseldorf in November 1943.

Jake said he had read his grandfather's logbook from "from cover to cover", adding: "Seeing what he's flown and the things he did are just incredible."

Jake has wanted to be a pilot since he was eight, and first took the controls of an aircraft on his 14th birthday. His ambition is to be flying commercial planes by age 19.