Fiona’s Journey: Aviation, Scholarships & Inspiring Future Pilots

Fiona is currently completing her ATPL exams and hour building, in her spare time she volunteers at her local Air Cadet squadron. She is a Former Air Cadet, University Air Squadron Officer Cadet, and Royal Air Force Commissioned Officer. 

She shares some of her wisdom from years of flight experience, as well as some insight into what it takes to write a successful scholarship application. As a recipient of 10 scholarships herself and having helped mentor several young people achieve success with their own applications, she really knows her stuff.

What inspired you to work in aviation? 

I’ve been learning to fly in some sense since I was 13. When I first started to think about it, it was very clear to me that that was what I was going to do. As I’ve got older I’ve realised it is achievable but not without its challenges. I enjoy being around aircraft, talking with aviators, and most of all - actually flying. I made a serious effort to fly for a living in 2020, as my circumstances had improved and I decided if you’ve got to work for a living, why not try to make it enjoyable? 

How did you get started in the industry?

I can’t stress how important the Air Cadets was in my foundation. As a cadet I learned the basics of navigation, principles of flight, and general airmanship. I flew on Air Experience Flights and completed a Gliding Scholarship. I was introduced to the Air League, who provided a Flying Scholarship (and a further cross-country Gliding Scholarship). These early cadet experiences introduced me to a network I still use today, and friends that are lifelong. Following the Flying Scholarship, I considered myself “half-way” through my PPL, so made the push to complete it. Working shifts help me fly at quiet and cheaper times during the week.

What obstacles or assistance have you experienced? 

There’s no escaping the fact that this activity requires money. Even with scholarship help I needed to find a lot of cash to complete the PPL before joining the RAF. Post-PPL, I haven’t always had the income to sustain my licence, hence taking an enforced break of around a decade. It just wasn’t possible. In recent years I’ve won two scholarships from the BWPA which is an immense help, but plugging the remaining gap to reach fATPL will still require a five-figure sum. 

What advice do you have for writing scholarship applications? 

My day job involves writing applications for charity funding, so I am sure those skills overlap. I like to help the cadets on my squadron in scholarship application, and lately cadet pilot applications, too. Good writing is key - it’s your opportunity to show your passion on paper. If you’re not a confident writer, perhaps speaking outloud will help you articulate why you deserve this, why you want this. You have to learn how to be your own best advocate, you own cheerleader. Don’t worry if writing down or saying these things sounds embarrassing, they might be, but only in the moment.

For any scholarship, think about not only why you want it, but what use of it you will make. If you’ve flown already, how does this follow? If you’ve not flown yet, how do can you justify this award? You can use air shows, museums, and flight sim as your foundation. If you enjoyed flying on holiday, as I did aged 9, perhaps that is your starting point. If you’re just beginning to explore aviation, look at ways to do anything to get near aircraft, or to learn about them, even if that starts with asking a pilot a question - it’s a start! 

And remember it’s competitive. I applied for RAFA’s Flying Scholarship several times, inching further up the shortlist until I was too old to apply. I applied for the Air League once before winning an award. I applied for GAPAN’s full PPL several times until I had earned my licence anyway. Apply for everything and anything, keep folders of your best written answers, and edit them as you go, keeping a diary of your progress. Persevere, seek feedback, and apply again. (Beware of copy and paste). More often that not, the art of a good application lies in short, succinct answers. It’s really difficult to do, so find someone ruthless to be your editor.

What aviation achievement are you most proud of? 

I did some flying in Canada including my CPL qualifying flight, however recently I flew to France thanks to the award of the 624squadron.com scholarship from BWPA. I used this opportunity to honour Noor Inayat Khan in the 80th year of her departure from England, on her fateful journey to France. This was my greatest undertaking to date, and has really boosted my confidence. I flew from Rougham, East Anglia, just before it closed, to Angers, Loire, in a PA-28.

What are your goals within the aviation industry?

I want to fly professionally, which is most likely to be with the commercial airlines, but I will see where my job search takes me. I would love to instruct in time, as I love helping people and getting people started. It would be wonderful to display heritage aircraft some day. I also miss gliding and want to get back into it. I’m very focussed on my commercial journey at the moment, but I do have a fascination with seaplanes and want to obtain my SEP(Sea) rating. I follow electric flight and airships with some enthusiasm, and I’m also very interested in space so would jump at any commercial space opportunity! 

Have any other women influenced you in your aviation journey? 

I’m very interested in the role of women in space, and I wrote my Masters dissertation on that. The Mercury 13 were an impressive group of women who but for insurmountable barriers would have been history-making astronauts. I recently finished Eileen Collins’ biography, who first piloted the space shuttle. She is one determined lady and a huge inspiration. 

What changes would you like to see in the industry? 

I’d love to see the industry roll out more cadetships, with flexibility on entry points - for instance, a few of us who have chosen the modular route, and that is usually down to finance and lack of cadet schemes, risk losing out on opportunities because they’ve reached a certain milestone in their training. So, flexibility on all fronts as cadetships open would be most welcome. But, perhaps more urgently, and far more feasible, given that it’s possible to borrow a decent amount for a PhD, I would like to see government-backed finance for commercial pilots in training, whatever their stage. It’s incredibly tough doing this and working full time. Everyone’s different, some manage it well, but I will admit I’d be much happier not working whilst I study. Unfortunately, there is no financial resource without work. Perhaps that’s wishful thinking, but, flying will remain the preserve of the rich without assistance from either government or retail banking. We’ve just passed party-conference time, but it would be interesting to hear what proposals there are to “level-up” pilot training and invest in the industry at flight school level. We can’t just hope that talent gets through, we need a bit of support, and there’s more than one way to provide that. 

What advice do you have for other aspiring pilots?

Talk to other pilots. Share experiences. Work together, especially in a selection context. It’s amazing how small the aviation world is, so, strive to be helpful, and be mindful of the trail you leave. 

So much of this comes down to timing, luck and perseverance. I’m very close to getting what I want; I came extremely close on a recent airline selection but just missed out. It’s only a matter of time before everything falls into place and I take great comfort in being on track. 

It’s important to look after yourself. It’s hard. Watching others do what you want to do can be inspiring, and, it can also be deflating. It’s also hard working in an alien industry - you have to compartmentalise your life. If asked, “where do you want to be in five years?” and you answer “the right hand seat of a 737” - your ground-based employer might not support that. It’s deeply personal how much you wish to share of your ambitions, and I have been burned by being encouraged to share and then chastised for it. I do all I can to not only train and study, but find aviation inspiration through reading, visiting lectures and exhibitions, and through community. 

Stay the course. If you’re reading this, and feeling down, keep at it. If it was easy, everyone would be doing this, and you’re not everyone!