Pilot keeps his feet on the ground despite 40 years of flying for fun

FLYING over Cork and beyond for the past 40 years, private pilot Pat Punch has seen not only the landscape beneath him change dramatically but the aviation industry too.

Now 61, the Douglas resident is celebrating his 40 years in the cockpit.

Part of a group of 12 who own a four-year-old Cessna Skyhawk based at Cork airport, he has flown all over Ireland and to many other countries.