THE sky's the limit for a Shobdon woman who has gained her assistant flying instructor's licence.

Pat Agnew, of Tiger Helicopters, has become one of only five women in the country to earn the licence and the achievement is the culmination of a dream for the Herefordshire born-and-bred pilot.

Pat's ambition from an early age was to fly fast jets, but a career in the air seemed to have passed her by as she developed her own fantasy face-painting and make-up business in Minehead.

"Then my partner, David, decided to learn to fly at Tiger Helicopters back in Shobdon and I said 'that's it, I'm going to make this my career'," she recalled.

Pat began her quest back in November 1998 and after more than 200 hours in the air, as well as practical and written tests, she achieved her goal earlier this year.

Pat now joins the team of seven instructors at Tiger Helicopters, which was founded by Alan Ramsden and Pauline O'Keefe back in 1992.

Potential students come in from all over the country, and even as far as Sweden to learn to fly with the now-thriving business which has 10 of its own helicopters.

But although Pat is looking forward to passing on her skills to others she still retains ambitions of her own.

"I want to be a commercial pilot, but if it all ended now, the experiences I've had flying would last me a lifetime," she said.

"My family and everyone at Tiger Helicopters have supported me all the way from my private pilot's licence through to becoming a flying instructor.

"My one single regret is that my mum, who passed away last year, is not here to see my achievement. I know she would have been extremely proud."