Ever wondered what it’s like to fly across the sky at 150mph?

As part of our Have a Go Joe series, reporter Joe Crossley attempts to take over the controls of a small aeroplane to see what the enduring appeal of aviation is…

Most people’s experience of being in the air is getting to Heathrow, Gatwick or Stansted, three hours before their flight takes them to their holiday destination.

As an outsider looking into a completely unknown world of aviation, there is a certain romanticism about soaring in the sky.

But what’s it really like taking the controls yourself?

I contacted Rochester Airport, which acts as a training centre for new pilots as well as regular flights, to see if I could take over the reins.

The airport is run by Kelvin Carr and his team which have overseen around 22,000 take-offs and landings this year.

He set me up with ex-British Airways flyer Jeremy Palmer who was to be my instructor and co-pilot for the day.

I’m due to meet him in the café and airport shop at 10.30am so that he can fully brief me.

I arrived early so that I could have a nosey around as it was my first time visiting the airfield and after stepping out of my car I could instantly hear the buzz of aircraft engines and was also hit by the gusts of wind thanks to the openness of the site.

Some planes were landing, while others were being pushed out of hangers by airport crews before taking off.

This scene made me even more excited and I hurried into the café to find my guide for the morning.

The 67-year-old welcomed me as he was sipping on a coffee and we got chatting.

He first entered a plane when he was four-years-old and knew from childhood that he wanted to be a pilot.

After training at Rochester he went on to fly commercially for British Airways across the globe to every single continent – except the Poles.

Altogether he has 50 years' worth of flying experience so in short, I was in good hands.

It was a clear and sunny day which made conditions perfect for flying but there are other things pilots need to consider when planning their trips.

“Of course the weather is important,” Jeremy explained to me, “but we also have to think about terrain and obstacles so that you don’t hit them, fuel just like a car and also airspace.

“For example, if we were to enter London Gatwick airspace you have to pay a serious fine and could face imprisonment.

“There are also warnings we have to keep an eye out for such as air shows which we have to avoid.”

The Wateringbury resident uses an app called Sky Demon – a real-time map – on his tablet to navigate which shows him these variables.

Using the app he plotted the route which would see us head to Sittingbourne before heading southwest to Bewl Water, near Sevenoaks, before heading back to Rochester – altogether some 49 nautical miles or 90 kilometres.

Before we headed up Jeremy told me his three rules while flying: “Rule one, have fun. Rule two, have fun. And rule three if you don’t like it we will come down. Happy?”

Sounds good to me.

With our plan in place, we headed to Jeremy’s aeroplane, a beautiful cream and orange 1967 M4 Maule, which he says is the only one in the country.

He had it shipped from California in 1996 after purchasing it from the owner who sold it to him on the condition that he was not allowed to fly it over the Atlantic.

It has 210 horsepower and has metal wings, a steel fuselage and a fabric covering.

After some of the airport crew pushed it out of the hangar we jumped into the cockpit and drove to the runway with headsets on.

Through the headphones, I could hear Jeremy conversing with flight control but he might as well have been talking another language as I could not understand a word of their exchange.

However, he explained to me that we would be off soon and were just waiting for a couple of planes to land.

After another round of radio chatter, we were on our way, driving down the grass runway.

The thrust pushed me to the back of the seat and I could not help but smile as we gathered more and more speed before Jeremy pulled on the sticks.

Within seconds we were rising and I was experiencing the romanticism which comes with flying.

With small circle-sized holes in the windows of the plane, wind did come into the cockpit which made me feel even more among the clouds rather than being on a bus in the sky like you do with commercial flying.

The views were amazing and I could see the dotted towns and villages, and major landmarks of Medway like the dockyard but also see the skyscrapers of Canary Wharf in one direction and in the other the coast of France.

It was simply breathtaking going 150 mph through the air but feeling relaxed and totally comfortable.

At this point, he offered me the controls as we were safely up and nothing could go wrong.

He even showed me that the plane would just keep going forward without having to use sticks which changed my perspective of how flying works.

I put my hands on them and I was now flying the plane.

Unlike a car, you have to be very very gentle and only make small movements.

It was an incredible feeling being up with the birds and well above any worries I had on the ground.

We were above Bewl Water at this point and my task was to turn the plane back towards Medway.

So with just a little pressure on the flight sticks I gradually eased us around.

On the home straight now we headed back to the airport, and still in control I took in every minute.

Before we had taken off I had asked Jeremy why he enjoys flying so much.

“It’s hard to boil it down into one thing,” he says. “The best way I can tell you is by showing you.”

Now that I was having a go I could see the appeal of doing this for a living but I asked him anyway.

He said: “What I love about this is seeing among the birds. It’s about being in a world we aren't natural in. It helps that the views are amazing.

“It’s also the concentration that goes into it and the sense of achievement when you have finished.”

While we had only been in the air for around half an hour we had already done our loop but it had felt like we had only just got up.

Jeremy took the controls back and although he said we would be landing soon, after yet another round of radio chatter, within what seemed like seconds we were heading towards the ground.

The landing was a bit bumpier than the take-off and it felt like a rollercoaster ride which added to the fun.

With that all of a sudden my adventure was over and I was firmly brought back to earth.

I can see why Jeremy got hooked on flying.

There’s the obvious thrill of take-off and landing but it’s also like driving when the roads are clear – albeit hundreds of feet above the ground.

It gives you a sense of freedom which was probably helped by the fact I hadn’t done all the planning and had a pair of steady hands guiding me all the way.

Nevertheless just as Jeremy had difficulty describing why he loves flying I too find it hard to put it into words as there is not a comparison I think that does it justice.

Rochester Airport offers training for new flyers which usually takes around 50 hours.