Neighbours living close to Paul Hollywood say the Bake Off star has been thundering over their homes in his helicopter for the last three months.
He lands the aircraft on a strip of land between his farmhouse and the local pub in the tranquil village of Smarden in Kent.
captured the moment the 58-year-old star landed his Robinson Raven helicopter this afternoon.
Local Sue Keys, 72, said: ‘He’s been over four times today so he’s been busy.
‘You certainly hear him when he’s overhead, there’s a lot of aircraft noise anyway what with us being so close to Headcorn air field, but he obviously flies a lot lower than other aircraft because he lands more or less in his back garden.
‘He’s been using the helicopter for the last three months or so and when he first started I’d be thinking to myself ‘what’s that? he’s a bit low’ and It’d give me a bit of a startle but i’ve got used to it now.’
Another neighbour, who only gave his name as John, 62, said: ‘We have horses so when the helicopter comes in low on certain days they get a bit spooked and don’t like it.
‘But having said that, we live in a noisy spot. There’s an airfield around the back of us from which Spitfires fly out from, other helicopters and aircraft come flying across over the fields. The road is busy during rush-hour and there’s a busy pub opposite.
‘Paul Hollywood had had helicopters pick him up before when he’s been filming – it’s just that now he’s the one flying them!’
A woman who lived a few doors down from Hollywood, however, said she liked him buzzing around, adding: ‘I actually like seeing him flying over, it’s quite exciting. It makes a change from all the old spitfires that roar over the house.’
Paul is said to keep his Robinson Raven chopper at Manston airport rather than the nearby Headcorn Aerodrome as he continues to work towards his private license.
A private license is obtained after 45 hours of flight instruction consisting of 25 hours of dual flight instruction and 10 hours of supervised solo flight time, including at least five hours of solo cross country.
Five hours may be completed in an approved flight simulator.
Paul, who forked out £21,000 for sessions in a Second World War Spitfire, began training to become a pilot two years ago in a bid to escape the ‘madness’ of his celebrity life.
He explained at the time: ‘It’s just you, a machine, and you’re away from all the madness. Of course I’m a bit nervous. But up there you’ve got total freedom.’
Flight records show that Paul has been flying solo across the UK, often landing in the gardens of 5-star hotels.
He is even said to have installed a windsock in his garden to monitor flying conditions.
There are concerns among locals, however, that his plans to use the helicopter to travel to the Bake Off tent for filming could increase the disturbance.
While Paul splashed out on the helicopter, it won’t have made a dent in his finances because he banked more than £14million pound last year alone.
The celebrity baker, who has been a judge on the Channel 4 show since 2010, earned £14,146,703 in 2023.
The Mirror reported Paul was receiving roughly £270,000 a week, making him one of the UK’s best paid TV stars.
According to accounts for the company HJP Media LLP that handles his earnings, Paul enjoyed his most lucrative year ever.
The firm also made nearly a £1million profit in 2023, with additional assets worth over £4million.
Paul, who is renowned for his firm handshakes with contestants on the show, earned the big dough for being a loyal judge on the hit TV series.
He received a £100,000 pay rise on top of his £600,000 salary for Bake Off ahead of the next series in September.
His long stint on the baking show has helped him connect with supermarkets like Waitrose and Sainsbury’s, where he has bought out ranges of cookware.
Role: Light utility and trainer helicopter
Cost: Between $300,000 and $600,000
Manufacturer: Robinson Helicopter Company
Designer: Frank D. Robinson
First flight: 31 March 1990
Introduction: 1993
Status: In production
Produced: 1990–present
Number built: More than 6,900
Developed from: Robinson R22
Developed into: Robinson R66
As well as his TV career, the baker has published 11 books which have each sold over 700,000 copies.
The latest accounts state in the paperwork: ‘Profit for the financial year available for discretionary division among members was £9,873,200. Members’ interest after profit for the year was £14,146,703. Repayment of capital was £14,146,703.’
In May it emerged that Paul and wife Melissa have put more than £80,000 of their own cash into trying to save her family’s pub which they want to turn into a home.
Melissa revealed the business’s struggles as she was supported by the celebrity baker at a Kent council planning meeting.
The long-serving landlady of The Chequers Inn near Ashford told councillors her parents have spent even larger sums trying to keep it afloat and said the business was ‘dying on its feet’.
The Grade II-listed village pub has long been in the hands of Melissa’s family – who now want to turn it into a house.
Her father Glenn Spalding submitted plans earlier this year to convert the property into a single dwelling, sparking a huge outcry from locals.
The proposals had been recommended for approval – but the planning committee voted to defer its decision in order for more information to be gathered.
Paul married Melissa in a Byzantine style chapel set in the grounds of Cyprus’ most exclusive hotel in front of 75 friends and family in September 2023.
The couple tied the knot in the stunning Ayia Athanasia chapel which forms part of the luxury Anassa Hotel, located on the north-west Akamas peninsula, one of the most unspoilt areas of the holiday island.
It was followed by a reception and then a late-night party in the hotel’s entertainment area, which finished in the early hours.
Guests included close family members and celebrity pals such as Paul’s fellow show judge Prue Leith, who had been enjoying the Anassa Hotel’s lavish facilities in the days leading up to the wedding.
The couple had dated for three years before tying the knot.
Paul previously said he finds being a celebrity ‘horrendous.’
Speaking to the Radio Times about whether fame has been a positive experience, he said: ‘No, it’s horrendous.
‘I’ve always fought against the word ‘celebrity’, anyway. Right up to the age of 40, there was no way I thought I was ever going to be on telly.
‘This came out of nowhere, and you have to adapt to it.
‘There’s no school to go to learn how to deal with the press, or your day-to-day life, and how to block it off without going crazy and getting upset. You can’t.
‘You just have to grow a very thick skin. Now I’ve got a skin like a crocodile.’
Paul has been a judge on the hit TV show Great British Bake Off since it started in 2010, co-hosting firstly with Dame Mary Berry and then Dame Prue Leith.
The star was awarded an MBE at Windsor Castle for his services to baking and broadcasting in April.
Paul, who was joined by family members including his mother Gill and received his honour from the Princess Royal, said he would love for the Prince and Princess of Wales to appear on the show.
Speaking after the ceremony, Paul said being made an MBE had left him feeling ‘very proud’, but he wished his nan had been alive to witness it.
He explained: ‘I was over the moon. When I (first found out) I told my mum and she was silent on the phone, which is quite unusual for my mum.
‘I wish my nan had seen it. She was very fond of the royal family, as we all are.
‘But specifically she would’ve been over the moon. But my mum was here today so she was loving it.’
When asked which royal he would pick to compete in the Bake Off tent, Paul said: ‘I think I’d go for Kate and Will – they’d be more than welcome!’
He later spoke of Princess Anne, who presided over the ceremony, and said that he had previously met her before at Buckingham Palace.
Paul said: ‘I’ve always been fond of the Princess Royal.
‘I met her a few years ago at Buckingham Palace when the (then) Duke of Edinburgh wasn’t very well. We were all with members of the royal family and I just happened to be there with Princess Anne. So to see her again today was fantastic.
‘She did say ‘baking is so integral to the DNA of us all. We love the smell’. And I said ‘absolutely, I grew up with the smell’.
‘I think she’s particularly fond of Chelsea buns. I promised her some, so I put myself on the spot there.’
When asked if the royal family were fans of the show, Paul confessed they were ‘fully aware of (it), yes.’