An elderly glider pilot nearly hit a helicopter and an RAF plane before landing illegally, while sightseeing with a lady friend.

Michael Powell, 60, was fined £500 by magistrates after he admitted landing at RAF Benson without permission.

After getting lost on his way back to Enstone airfield Mr Powell:

*Almost collided head on with a helicopter coming into land.

*Flew underneath an RAF training plane which was taking off. *Taxied on the runway so erratically he had to be guided off.

An embarrassed Mr Powell said after the case: "It turned out to be an expensive flight."

Julia Flanagan, prosecuting on behalf of the Civil Aviation Authority at Oxford Magistrates' Court, said the motorised glider was first spotted by a Puma helicopter.

The pilot warned air traffic control who alerted a second helicopter which was on a collision course with the glider.

Miss Flanagan told how the second helicopter and a training plane were then forced to scatter. The glider forced the helicopter to break off its approach before passing underneath the training aircraft as it climbed out the way.

Miss Flanagan said: "It left the student pilot shaken up and he asked to be relieved of further flying that day.

"Mr Powell then taxied so erratically, a vehicle was sent out to shepherd it to a safe area.

"When questioned he said it still had five hours fuel and a functioning radio when he had become lost."

She said that he felt it was the right decision to make in the circumstances. Mr Powell, of Upton, Norwich, said in mitigation he was an inexperienced pilot and was frightened when he did not recognise where he was.

He said: "It was getting dark and I didn't know where I was.

"I had thought quite seriously about landing in a field.

"All I wanted to do was get that aircraft on the ground.

"I didn't think to use the radio.

"I think I was so nervous I was not thinking clearly. "I was trying to find something on the ground which I could recognise.

"I could not identify anything.

"I had never been lost in the air before and hadn't the experience to know what exactly to do."

"In retrospect, the whole thing became an important learning experience."

Mr Powell, who had 150 hours' flight experience, trained mostly in the United States where landing regulations are more relaxed. Referring to the gliding drama, he said: "They charged me a £17 landing fee at Benson.

"But they were very nice and gave me the frequency for RAF Brize Norton who guided me back to Enstone.

"It was very dark by then and I would never have found it.

"It only took about 30 minutes to get back."

Mr Powell had hired the two-man glider for the day.

Story date: Saturday 16 October

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