I don't watch myself on TV, I don't read the news clippings about me, so when people come up and say, 'What about that story last week?' I go, 'I didn't even know there was.'

The mid-life crisis is just those times when you're not so into the things you were when you were younger.

I have to thank my mum for kicking me out at 16 and making me stand on my own two feet - that's how I got here.

I think it is easy for people to build up an image of what I'm about. I consider myself quite a nice chappy really. I'm decent to people, I stay in and listen to Radio 4.

I can do the equivalent of 150 miles per hour and not get stopped. I could quite happily pursue people down the motorway in my helicopter.

I'm in this absolutely gorgeous manor house with acres of quite beautiful countryside. I've got trout in the river, an organic vegetable garden, I've got my work 40 yards from my home. I don't mind being criticised, but where are they criticising from? Which hut are they criticising me from, exactly?

I love being able to go on local flights when the weather is right. I've popped to the Isle of Wight, Cornwall and been mountain flying in Wales. When I got my licence I was over the moon, it was one of the greatest days of my life - it took two years to get!