Cooper Gibson hasn't got his driver's licence yet but he is well on his way to obtaining a licence to fly.
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Not your average 16-year-old, Cooper already has his recreational pilot licence and is preparing to obtain his private pilot licence (PPL) by embarking on the trip of a lifetime to Mudgee via Dubbo.
His PPL will allow him to fly solo and with other passengers, and he will attempt to obtain this as soon as he legally can, which is on his 17th birthday, on May 5.
Cooper, who comes from Nelson Bay, has always wanted to fly, and has worked in his aunty's cafe after school to raise the thousands of dollars required to study for the ticket.
Conditions allowing, he will fly from Rutherford - the home of the Newcastle Aero Club - to Dubbo where he will land on Wednesday, January 24.
He will then fly on to Mudgee and land and refuel before completing his trip back to Rutherford.
Cooper will do all this on his own as part of his course to become a licenced flyer.
When he touches down in Dubbo, he will be met by his great-grandfather's brother, local retired businessman Peter Fitzalan, who built the Abel Tasman Motor Inn.
Cooper said flying made him feel free.
"It's like I'm flying at 200 kilometres across the ground, and I'm in control of this 700-kilogram plane and I just feel free," he said.
Cooper's mum, Sheree Gibson, said her son was following his dream, and hoped it would show other kids they could do the same.
She said whenever the family went on holidays by plane, Cooper would always stick around to visit the pilot in the cockpit.
"I have made more aeroplane birthday cakes than I dare to count and this kid has wanted to fly before he could walk," she said.
Cooper's first dream once gaining his PPL is to fly his family to Condobolin to visit his grandmother, Laurel Gibson.
"It's just always been a dream of mine that I would fly and go and see my nan because she lives quite far away from where we are now," he said.
"We've always talked about it ... Every time we drove past the airport out there, I've always said I'm going to land there and we're going to come and visit you. I'm going to bring my plane."
How confident is he this is going to happen?
"One hundred and ten per cent. It's going to happen," he said.
Cooper is entering Year 11 in 2024 and wants to be a commercial airline pilot when he leaves school.
His older relative, Mr Fitzalan, said he is very proud, as he himself used to fly recreationally, and his son works as a pilot.
"It's a good achievement for him and we're rather proud of what he's done," he said.