Harrison Ford joins Shropshire Flying Club

Harrison Ford has become a lifelong member of a Shropshire flying club.

The Hollywood actor called the Shropshire Aero Club "out of the blue" while filming the latest Star Wars film.

Harrison, who is an avid pilot and owns 11 planes, asked to rent an aircraft while working in the area on JJ Abrams' Star Wars Episode VII.

Bob Pooler, chief instructor with Shropshire Aero Club, said the movie star wanted to bring one of his own planes to Britain, but ran out of time before filming started. Words: PA

He said he "checked Harrison out" on a test flight before signing him up as a lifelong member.

"To rent the aeroplanes from Sleap you have to become a member and Harrison paid his membership dues until the end of the year," Mr Pooler told the BBC.

"I asked him, 'can we make you a temporary member of the aero club?' and he said 'I don't want to be a temporary member, I want to be a lifetime member'."

He said he delivered a plane from Sleap Airfield, near Wem, to Denham, close to Pinewood Studios on Sunday.

Harrison - who is revisiting his role as Han Solo, captain of the Millennium Falcon, in the sci-fi film - has an open invitation to visit the club any time and also invited Mr Pooler to visit him in California.