In Conversation with Jenny Townend

Can you outline your experience so far?

My name is Jenny, I’m 34 and currently about 25 hours into my PPL journey with a flying school up in Yorkshire. I currently fly a PA28 and have weekly lessons, if the weather allows. I went solo back in November and after a break, I’ve just finished solo consolidation.

What inspired you to take your first steps into aviation?

Interestingly, as a child I never had any aspiration to be a pilot. I’d always liked planes and when going on holiday, the flight was always the most exciting part, but I never actually saw myself taking the controls. I lacked self-confidence and never thought of myself as ‘good enough’ for anything like that. After finishing university I trained to become a primary school teacher, and have been teaching for 12 years now. It wasn’t until my early 30s when I downloaded a game called ‘Microsoft Flight Simulator’ that I caught the flying bug. I became obsessed. I’d always liked ‘simulation’ type games which drew me towards it. I absolutely loved exploring the world (virtually) and was fascinated by the whole process of flying a plane, what all the controls and instruments did. It was like a flame inside me had been ignited. My husband bought me a flight experience voucher, and that was it!

Can you describe your first flying lesson and what it entailed?

I remember being so excited about actually sitting in the cockpit of a Cessna 150 and getting behind the controls. I’d spent many hours flying that exact plane on the simulator and sitting in one for real was one of the most exhilarating experiences of my life.

I went to a small, local airfield, and I remember telling my instructor about how much I enjoyed the simulator. He pretty much said ‘let’s do a proper lesson then’, and there I was sat at a desk while he was writing all sorts on a whiteboard. I remember understanding what he was talking about, which gave me this new level of confidence. We went up and I practised ‘straight and level flight’. I did everything he asked almost perfectly. I couldn’t stop smiling the whole way through.

From then on I kept booking flight experiences, just to get up there again. I remember feeling so excited between each one, and so disappointed when they got cancelled due to weather. All the while I was seriously thinking to myself – could I do this properly? Could I actually get a PPL? I remember thinking things over for a while and having a lot of doubts, but I eventually thought ‘Just go for it’, and here I am!

What are your opinions on at home flight simulators and did you find they helped you with your PPL training?

It certainly kick-started my passion for aviation. After all, a simple game is accessible to most and even though the real thing is a million times better, it was brilliant to have had a bit of a head start. I already knew weird things like what PAPI lights meant, how to land (and stop) a tail-dragger without tipping over, and interpreting a glass cockpit, purely from all the different activities I’d done and all the different planes I’d flown on MSFS. All of this was using an Xbox controller rather than a yoke of course, but still!

Now I’m over 20 hours in, I’m finding it a little less useful for the actual flying part, as getting the sensitivity settings right to match the actual plane I’m flying is a headache. However, simulators are very good for practising cockpit/power checks, pre-landing checks, getting to know the circuit patterns (which are surprisingly realistic on the simulator) and for the same reason I can see it being very useful for navigation when I get to that.

Interestingly before writing this, I had a lesson and was struggling with taxiing checks so I practised on the simulator as soon as I got home. It became so much easier without the pressure of being in the actual plane, checking the direction of the ball when I turn, and the heading direction, and practising saying these out loud.

To be honest even just sitting with the yoke and throttle and ‘chair flying’, without actually playing the simulator is incredibly useful too. The weather hasn’t been kind to us lately, so I’ve been doing this a lot between lessons.

How do you balance raising a family and learning to fly?

It’s difficult. I can’t just drop everything when the weather is nice, so often the one day I actually get to fly every week the weather is terrible, or my instructor isn’t available, or other reasons. I’m averaging about once a fortnight at the moment which isn’t ideal, but interestingly my best lessons are often the ones after a 2-3 week break. Being a mum, a teacher (which can be a very stressful job!), keeping the house running, a student pilot as well as revising for my exams! It's tough. I do feel a bit envious of those who power through several times a week, going solo in just a few hours, but I try not to let it get to me. I just keep pushing on. I know I’ll get there eventually, I just have to remind myself that in my circumstances, it might take a little longer, and that’s ok! It almost makes it even more rewarding when I’ve had a good lesson.

How do you think we can encourage women with young children to chase their aviation dreams?

Your life doesn’t have to come to a halt just because you have children. Yes, they take up a lot of time and energy, and often you don’t feel you have either to properly pursue your dreams. Having something outside of the day-to-day routine just for you, is incredibly important. Having goals, having a passion and something else to think about aside from parenting, is absolutely crucial in my opinion.

Also remember that you don’t have to commit all hours of the week to flying to achieve your dreams either. If you want to go for a PPL, one lesson a week or even a fortnight, is more than adequate for good progress. When you’re not flying, there’s plenty of ground school you can do. I’ve taken my daughter to soft-play centres before and revised while she’s played! After she’s gone to bed, I’ve sat and done 30 minutes revision for my next exam, or a bit of chair flying. If you really want something, you can make it happen. There is always a way, and it doesn’t have to come with a lot of guilt.

What are your aspirations for the future?

For now, my aim is to get my PPL(A) license, take some (keen) passengers, make new friends and enjoy exploring Yorkshire by air! I'd also love to try flying different types of planes, such as microlights and/or tail draggers, perhaps get an instrument or night rating.

Of course there is a part of me which would love to go commercial, but I'm not 100% sure it's a realistic goal for me, personally, medically or financially. Never say never, but I'd like to try instructing at least. I'd enjoy that. I'm not putting too much pressure on myself to decide, for now.