THE winners of a Daily Echo competition to fly in a helicopter have been revealed.

Hundreds of people entered our competition, hosted in partnership with Bliss Aviation of Bournemouth Airport.

The company offered three pairs of tickets for pleasure flights.

The tickets have been won by Julia Bacon, Craig Palmer and Maureen Panton.

Julia, who lives in Hamworthy, told the Echo: "I can't believe I've won. I'm so pleased.

"I've always wanted to fly in a helicopter, and when I saw the Echo was running a competition I thought, 'I've got to enter' and made sure I bought a copy."

Julia said she has previously been a winner after entering a competition in the Echo.

"Years ago, I won dinner at a lovely hotel in Poole overlooking the harbour," she said.

"I'm so surprised I've won the flights.

"It's something I've always wanted to do."

Craig, who also lives in Poole, attached his entry to a postcard of the Iguazu Falls, a spectacular waterfall in Argentina.

He said: "I decided to enter the competition because this is something I've never done before.

"I've always really wanted to fly in a helicopter and when I saw the competition, it seemed like a great opportunity.

"I used to be a member of cabin crew for Thomson, but despite that, I've never flown in a helicopter."

Bliss Aviation recently secured a licence to operate pleasure flights.

The awarding of a much-prized Air Operator’s Certificate (AOC) will mean a major growth in business for the firm, which is run by chief executive officer Gary Ellson and managing director Ollie Lehmann.

It has been operating for more than 20 years and was previously known as Bournemouth Helicopters.

The company already offers training flights, runs a flight training school from its premises and operates as an official handling agent for Bournemouth Airport, one of only two firms looking after general aviation.

Photography flights will also be available and the company has a VIP service.