Not Troy Thomas.

In his free time the Robin Hood Hotel barman is most likely thousands of feet above the streets of Orange as he pours his time, energy, heart and soul into transforming his hobby into a thriving business.

Troy has set his sights on making his new Orange Airport-based business, Thomas Aviation, into a fully-fledged pilot training academy.

Two similar schools already operating in nearby Bathurst teach people from regional NSW the finer points of taking to the skies, however, Thomas Aviation will be the first academy of its type in Orange.

“They must be making some sort of money because they are both still operating,” Troy says.

Working out how to make money from the things we enjoy doing most is a concept more of us should probably embrace.

“People ask ‘Do you ever get bored?’ but how could I, does the view from your office look like this?” he says as he charters the skies above Orange in a Piper Warrior aircraft.

“I don’t think there is anything romantic about flying, it’s just that once you do it, you get hooked.

“Everyone says they’d love to learn to fly but most never do. There’s really no difference between someone spending over $10,000 buying and running a motorbike, there’s no difference between that and flying, you put your money into what you enjoy.”

Soaring through the skies is nothing new for Troy, who grew up in Cudal surrounded by aircraft, when flying was an regular occurrence, with his father boasting his own hangar and aircraft on his rural property.

After leaving school, Troy embarked on a business degree at university before realising tertiary education wasn’t for everyone.

“It just wasn’t my thing, but flying planes is and I really want to turn this business into a full-time thing,” he said.

At just 21 years of age Troy has plenty of time to turn his dreams into reality.

Thomas Aviation already has two planes ready for use by beginners or even those with some flying time under their belts.

Another two aircraft are expected to be ready for use shortly, along with offering theory lessons and aerial photography.