Francesca Hunter-Cooke, of Wortwell, was given flying lessons as a 90th birthday present by a friend.

She has wanted to fly an aeroplane since her father bought two when she was a baby.

Although she trained as a stewardess after the Second World War, Mrs Hunter-Cooke was never given the chance to work on board due to her Argentinian nationality.

"I have always wanted to fly," she said.

"I would sit with the pilot when I used to go to France. A lot of my friends have been ringing and asking: 'how is Amy Johnson today?'."

Mrs Hunter-Cooke, who is known as Winks, will head up to Norwich Airport on September 12 for her flying lesson, which was booked through the experience company Adventure 001.

"I am looking forward to flying – it doesn't bother me at my age," she said. "I'm not scared – I have had my life and it's been a very colourful one."

Mrs Hunter-Cooke explained flying was in her blood – her father was aviation pioneer Claude Grahame White's first pupil at his flying school in Hendon.

"He was crazy about flying," she said.

"I didn't know him after I left for England when I was three or four but he should be proud of me – I know my mother would be."

While training to be a stewardess with BSAA (British South American Airways), Mrs Hunter-Cooke was taken flying in the company's Tudor planes.

"On a Sunday we had nothing much to do, so we used to go for a fly," she said. "London Airport (now Heathrow) was surrounded by hedges, so you had to get up quickly before you hit one of them.

"They were beastly planes to fly apparently."

Mrs Hunter-Cooke has not ruled out further flying lessons.

"I am going to see how I like it and see what they think," she said.

"I hope I will be ok – I wasn't a bad driver."

Rachel Wesley, from Adventure 001 said: "She is certainly one of the oldest people that we have had on our experience days.

"It just goes to show you can be a high flyer at any age."