In Conversation With Laura Russell!

Commercial Pilot, Instructor and Aerobatics Pilot on her way to the World Advanced Aerobatic Championships! 

What inspired you to fly/work in aviation? What is your ‘Why’?

I took my first flying lesson in October 2004 at my local airport. My grandmother gifted me the flight after making it through my final exams at school. I had just started studying Physics at University College Cork and after that first half an hour in a Piper Cherokee, I was besotted. Here was an activity, a pursuit, that embodied everything wonderful humankind had created since the dawn of science and technology! As a broke college student, it was unclear to me then how exactly I would go about completing my private licence. I was dimly aware of the economic disaster bubbling up and understood that it would be a long road. Through summer internships in the Physics department, web design on the side and a loan from my parents I was able to complete the PPL course and bag the licence during the autumn of 2006.

My first exposure to aerobatics was at the Salthill Air Show in Galway, Ireland in July 2005. Having logged a sprinkling of hours in a Piper Cherokee in the flying school in Cork, I was astounded at what these aerobatic aeroplanes could do and I wondered about the incredible views and sensations that each pilot must be experiencing. I am not one to hang about so I immediately got myself a trial aerobatic lesson. It was in an aircraft called an Extra 300 and I knew, immediately, that this - aerobatics - was what I would do. I remember having the sensation of being completely connected to the aeroplane and somehow to the sky. My instructor tried his best to teach me the basics: loops, rolls, cuban 8s, spins. I had no thoughts of air sickness or nervousness. After landing, I was left with a singular thought: I could do this, and I could do this really well. 

My why in aviation is twofold.

Commercial flying allows me to be in the sky every day, working with some of the most positive and inspiring colleagues who are as devoted to their jobs as I am mine. I love the idea that I am a little cog in the great machine helping to connect people across the world.

Competition aerobatics is my passion: Flying aerobatics gives me goosebumps! I am deeply competitive and enjoy the panic and stress of the competition environment.

What did your first steps into the industry look like? 

I took the scenic route to my commercial flying career. After completing my PPL and finishing my Physics degree in 2008, I found myself right in the middle of an economic crisis. This did not pair well with my notions of a commercial pilot licence! I applied for a scholarship to complete a postdoctoral degree with University College Cork which I was awarded in 2008. I immediately started my PhD studying quantum physics and with that scholarship I was paid a little salary - enough to keep me flying every few weeks. I continued to build my flying hours while working through my PhD. I was so fortunate to have a female research advisor who headed our research group at UCC. She encouraged everyone on the team to get involved with outreach. I took part in lots of public speaking contests during my studies, promoting physics and science to the general public and younger people. As a happy consequence, this brought in some prize money that I swiftly converted to the occasional aerobatic lesson!

I completed my PhD in 2013 and was offered a job as an optical engineer in Galway with Valeo Vision Systems in their Image Quality team. Being a physicist masquerading as an engineer, I found that I didn’t enjoy the open plan office environment and the conventional 9-5 job! I yearned to be flying commercially so I started studying for my ATPL exams. In parallel, I tried to assimilate as much aerobatics experience as possible - competing at Sports level and trying to fly lots of different aerobatic aircraft.

In 2016, after many attempts, I won a pilot cadetship with Aer Lingus! Winning a cadetship was singularly the most pivotal life-altering event, allowing me to complete the CPL and MEIR at FTE Jerez in Spain, then the Airbus Type Rating with Aer Lingus. I did my base training in the Airbus 320 at Shannon Airport in July 2017 and a few days later I flew my first passengers out of Dublin to Verona and back.

Just prior to starting the cadetship in 2016, I had got my Flight Instructor Certificate. I was instructing in my spare time at Waterford Aero Club in Ireland - my aviation home since I started flying. I very much wanted to instruct aerobatics and this is something I pursued in parallel with my own aerobatic training. I understood that if I could teach aerobatics to pilots, then my own skill and knowledge would grow in conjunction. It also meant more time at the controls of the aircraft I love. So in 2021, I got my flight instructor certificate endorsed with privileges to teach aerobatics and upset recovery. I now instruct once a month at the British Aerobatic Academy at Fowlmere airfield.

What is the best piece of advice you have been given?

My grandmother told me that if I am going to do something, then I should do it well. I don’t enjoy the feeling of pursuing something to half measures. If I am into something, it is 110%. 

What do your work days involve?

For a typical European duty, myself and the other flight crew member will report at our Operational Briefing room approximately an hour before the flight and run through the flight plans. We consider the weather, traffic restrictions, aircraft weights and performance issues and come to a decision on the fuel for the flight. We walk to the aircraft and meet with the cabin crew to brief any topics of interest for the day - possible turbulence, expected delays and any particular passenger concerns.

After programming the flight management computer with the aircraft weights, the flight plan route and weather conditions, we will brief the departure procedure and relevant information about the airport including safety altitudes, prevailing weather issues. Briefings play a huge role in the daily job as they are the stage on which you can present a threat before it occurs and agree on a suitable method to mitigate it. After pushing back from the parking stand and starting the engines, we will taxi the aircraft out to the runway and takeoff. The Airbus is a great office!

During the cruise, both of us are busy with monitoring the aeroplane, setting up the approach at the arrival airport and planning fuel for the next flight. These days, most approaches flown in Europe are conventional ILS approaches with an occasional RNAV approach. If the airspace is busy or the weather is not up to scratch, the autopilot will be active until near the approach minima. The flying pilot will disconnect and land the aircraft manually the majority of the time, although during winter, the frequent occurrence of fog will necessitate an auto land in which the autopilot will fly the approach and complete the flare, touchdown and rollout. 

If I am doing a day of flight instructing, the pace can be quite frantic as you don’t have the luxury of a flight planning department, ground handling and refuelers to help you manage your time! I am responsible for the aircraft pre-flight inspection, fueling, and student lesson records. For many students starting an aerobatic rating or their AUPRT course, they may feel anxious about airsickness. This sort of flying instruction is very humbling because it constantly reminds you to take great care of how your student is feeling. For an aerobatic lesson, time is given to briefing each manoeuvre in detail so that the student can mentally visualise what they will see during the flight. Knowing where to look and when is the key to flying good aerobatics and has the added benefit of curtailing airsickness. The joy you feel teaching a student how to do their first loop or roll is unparalleled!

What do you think could be done to help increase the percentage of female pilots in the industry? 

I think it is imperative on all of us in aviation to enable younger females to consider a career in this industry. We very much need to show them that it is not just a viable career, but one which is deeply rewarding, fulfilling and empowering. I am dismayed when I meet a young person who seems aghast at the idea of becoming a pilot, as if it was absolutely outrageous that they could have such a career. This should not be the case in this day and age. 

I am constantly taken aback by the occurrence of kids and young people assuming that the male pilot who I am flying with is the only pilot of the aircraft. There must surely be something amiss if subconscious bias exists in kids these days. I believe strongly in demonstrating that you can do whatever you dream of.

Have any other women influenced you in your aviation journey? 

The women I fly with commercially and as a flying instructor are a constant source of inspiration. I think of them as the unsung heroes - those who are passionate about their careers, relish each day of flying and make no apologies about chasing their dreams.

I was blessed to grow up in a family of strong women - my mother, her sister, my grandmother and my godmother all set powerful examples of unapologetic goal-getting! My grandmother, besides introducing me to aviation, taught me how to drive after she herself had only learned a few years previously.

Over the last 20 years, I have discovered that it is critical to cherish the positive people in your life. If you want to achieve a dream, there are so very many naysayers who will think nothing of belittling those dreams. It won't be motivated by malice or ill will. It will be because some people are just programmed to think negatively. However, if you can eek out the supporters, keep them close and take heart from their encouragement.

Without those people, it is absolutely clear to me that I wouldn't be as stubborn as I am today when it comes to pursuing my dreams.

What was your most memorable flight? 

All pilots will struggle to answer this question as we all have logbooks full of wonderful hours and I certainly struggle to choose just one flight. 

The first time I had my Mum onboard one of my flights as a passenger imparted such a sense of pride. I flew her home from Hartford, US to Dublin in one of our new A321LR aircraft in 2019.

The first time I flew solo at an aerobatic competition is very special to me – it was at Leicester airfield in 2012 and I was flying an Extra 200. I remember taking off and entering an airborne holding pattern to wait for the pilot ahead of me to finish his sequence so that I could fly mine – as I circled I could see his yellow Pitts aircraft pull up into a stall turn against the blue sky. This moment will stay with me forever not only because it is very surreal to watch someone doing aerobatics from the air, but the memory comes with the euphoric feeling of adrenaline that only aerobatics can give you.

What are your hopes for the future? 

My aim is to become the first ever Irish female unlimited aerobatics pilot. This year, I’ll be competing at the World Advanced Aerobatic Championships in Nevada during October and November. This already will be a first for Irish female pilots.

In the future, I want to continue to share my love of flying through outreach and flight instructing - especially introducing pilots to aerobatic flying! I admit to dreaming about winning the lottery and being able to buy an Extra 330LX for Waterford Aero Club in Ireland so that I can show everyone the world from upside down!