Marcus Hahnemann is flying high

Wolves goalkeeper Marcus Hahnemann is used to flying through the air.

But not in the way fans would immediately think. The 38-year-old recently got his 'wings' as a fully qualified pilot of light aircraft.

And Hahnemann can now be seen regularly at Halfpenny Green airport, 15 minutes from his south Staffordshire home, ready for take-off.

With the long hours of travelling often the bane of a footballer's life, the bubbly shotstopper found the ideal way of filling his time.

That's when he's not tinkering and rebuilding any of his nine different cars and pick-ups of varying vintages here or in the United States, while listening to his heavy metal!

Hahnemann said: "It's something I've always wanted to do. I've been up in a whole bunch of planes and over the last couple of summers we've thought about flying to my friend's in Vancouver because it's a 10-hour drive but only a two-hour flight in a small plane.

"So it saves you so much time - there's a ferry as well - and it costs about the same as hiring a plane.

"We had a pilot to do a charter, which ended up being a bit more expensive, but it's so nice and convenient."

Hahnemann's base in Seattle - which he plans to return to when he's retired - offers the ideal environment, but the father-of-two decided to take the plunge now, when he discovered an airport so close to home.

He said: "There are two small airstrips a mile from my house in Seattle up in the mountains.

"I've been saying for a long time that I'll do it when I go back to Seattle for good. But I was sitting here in pre-season and I thought 'I'm going to have some lessons' to see how it is and how I cope.

"We spend a lot of time on the road and there's a lot of studying to be done. But the work filled that time pretty quickly, especially the pre-season trips.

"There were eight written tests from the books you're given and you do some of what they call 'ground school' - practical things - with your instructor, which is only 15 minutes away at Halfpenny Green airport.

"So there was a lot of studying and you ask the instructors a lot of questions and then you do the tests. About six weeks ago I did my 'check-out' final flight with the head instructor Malcolm Lassan.

"But I was safe and I got my navigations right, which is important because people who don't get their navs right get lost all the time!

"After 15 hours' flying you end up doing solo circuits so you can't leave the airspace of the airport, but you get to land so you get to do everything. It's pretty interesting and I absolutely love it.

"The main thing for me now is to build up my hours. When I passed, I wrote 'captain' on my goalkeeping gloves!"

Now he can use his licence, a whole new world has opened up to Hahnemann.

He said: "I'm at the first level, but I'm qualified to fly simple light aircraft, up to four seaters.

"I'm just building up my solo hours now to get used to the instruments - those are the things that save your life!

"I wasn't sure how it was going to fit into the schedule and how I was going to feel.

"Kevin Doyle did lessons for his helicopter licence but in the end he said it was too much - he was tired after training and he didn't want to do it.

"But with this place being so close, I could call there after training and go up for an hour and I find it super relaxing."

Now Hahnemann has his wings, he's keen to use his new hobby to socialise, as well as possibly incorporate it into a business venture he's already involved in.

He said: "I want to fly so I can hang out with my buddies. I've been involved with a charter airline - Kenmore Air - which does small charters in single engine planes from one of the lakes up to Vancouver.

"It was never a goal of mine to go and work for the airline though. I would have to do a lot more training because commercial flying involves a whole level of tests."

As the son of a German aircraft engineer who worked for Boeing, you could argue flying is in Hahnemann's blood and, from his early teens, aeroplanes and helicopters have been enduring passions of the eccentric American.

He said: "With my dad (Art) in the industry - he's an engineer - I've always been around planes.

"My dad doesn't fly but he had a friend who was flying back to California and I must have been 13 or 14 and he was taking it back to California. I said 'I'll go back with you!' and he said 'have you asked your dad?' and I had to say no.

"But we went back and had a pretty long trip - we stopped at a couple of really small airports in the middle of nowhere.

"So I've always been interested in it - I almost joined the Marines to fly helicopters because I wanted to be a pilot before I went to university. I always thought that when I retired I'd see where it took me.

"I did a helicopter lesson a couple of years ago on a TV show for a Premier League preview."

But the relatively more expensive cost of helicopters meant Hahnemann focused on the winged variety of aircraft.

One thing is for sure - as Wolves leave the launchpad bound for Premier League safety, goalkeeper Hahnemann is taking off in more ways than one these days.

By Tim Nash