Steve Thomas can think of little better than writing his name in the sky with smoke while indulging in a spot of aerobatics with his biplane.

The 42-year-old from Oxenhope does, however, quite enjoy diving out of the sun with one of his fighter aircraft for a devastating strafing run on an airbase.

But, although he is a fully licensed pilot, Steve's squadron of aeroplanes are no ordinary aircraft.

They are one-quarter and one-third size, scale models, which he flies at displays and air shows the length and breadth of the country.

The high-flying banker has also featured in various modelling magazines with his creations and has only recently returned from America where he has been wowing the crowds at an air show stateside.

His aircraft can even be seen on the silver screen, including a memorable role for one of his numerous Second World War fighter planes, a P51 Mustang, in Steven Spielberg's blockbuster, Empire of the Sun.

Steve, who lives in Oakworth with his wife Julie and their sons Brynley, 11, and Iwan, six, explained: "I first became interested in aircraft through an uncle who was in the RAF.

"I started putting little balsa wood models together and now I have been doing it for 30 years or more."

Today his collection has grown to around 30 aircraft and his hobby ever more complex.

Each plane can take up to five years to build and the cost can run into thousands of pounds.

He added: "Kits only go up to a certain size and so over the years I have learned how to weld and how to work with wood and fibreglass."

Among his collection there are stunt planes, including a bi-plane that belches smoke trails for the aerobatic displays, and a number of others, such as the Chipmunk trainer.

But Steve's real passion is for the various "War Birds" he has built, including the formidable Focke Wulf f190, which terrorised the skies of Britain in the early 1940s, the deadly North American P51 Mustang and the feared Japanese Mitsubishi A6M, better known as the Zero.

Powered by chainsaw engines, some of the aircraft are capable of reaching speeds of up to 300mph.

The aircraft are inspected by officers from the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA). The pilot must demonstrate ability at the controls.