SINCE the age of four, Toby Coker has dreamed of joining the Red Arrows.

Now the 17-year-old, from Lyndhurst Close, Croydon, is moving closer to turning that dream into a reality.

The teenager has been offered a prestigious flying scholarship with the RAF.

He beat off competition from more than 600 cadets after being given a glowing reference from a teacher at Royal Russell School, in Coombe Lane, Croydon.

Now he is preparing to undergo a week's training in Oxford in August, which he hopes will culminate in him flying a glider solo.

Toby, who found out about the scholarship last week, said: "I was very happy.

"I had two huge exams that day and I was the only one in the hall with a smile on my face."

Toby joined the Combined Cadet Forced (CCF), which is affiliated to his school, four years ago.

He is currently studying for his AS Levels and hopes to progress to university.

But the ultimate goal is to become an RAF pilot and then join the world famous Red Arrows, the aerobatic display team.

Toby explained: "When I was four I saw the Red Arrows and thought 'I'd like to do that'.

"I think it was a flyover in Weymouth, and the stuff they were doing, I thought 'wow'.

"The life Red Arrows pilots live is quite nice and I'd love to fly over a beach with thousands of people watching in surprise.

"My grandad was in the RAF so he inspired me too.

"And I also went to an RAF base once and met pilots, who pretty much did a private show.

"They were normal blokes but had a presence, and I thought I'd like to do that."

At ground level, Toby is yet to learn to drive a car and is saving up for lessons.

But his bid to fly even higher than a pilot, by going into space, was thwarted, for now at least, by Nasa.

Toby explained: "I did write a letter to Nasa once, asking them about becoming an astronaut.

"But they said to set my sights on becoming a pilot."