TRUCKER Dave Sayers is plane crazy. Since he was a boy, aircraft have been his great passion.

So when it came to a landmark birthday his wife, Diane, knew just what he'd like as a special present.

And on the day he celebrated his 40th, he found himself taking the controls of a multi-million pound Tucano simulator.

Mr Sayers, from Norton, near Malton, is so enthusiastic about planes that, whenever possible, he takes his breaks on Bilsdale Moor so he can watch Tornadoes and Harriers flying overhead as he eats his sandwiches.

He is a voracious reader of aviation magazines - and one of the happiest days of his life was when, as a farm worker, his tractor was selected by American A-10 tank-buster jets for target practice.

So Mrs Sayers contacted RAF Linton-on-Ouse to see if her husband could get a close-up of some planes as a birthday treat.

The RAF base said yes, but even she couldn't have imagined the treat pilots had in store as they invited him to take a simulator on a test flight.

"It was fantastic and having a go in the simulator was simply a dream come true," he said. "Being here at Linton has made this my best birthday ever."

His wife said: "We came away with a lovely picture of the two of us by a Tucano, and I've got a feeling it might end up replacing our wedding photo on the mantelpiece."