Journey to Commercial Pilot! - @pilotlilya

“Women, like men, should try to do the impossible.” Amelia Earhart

My name is Lilya and I’m a 20-year-old female student pilot. Jumping into the aviation industry has been a rollercoaster; with no family members or even friends who had ever considered aviation, navigating the best training academies, making contacts and finding role models has been difficult. I find myself thinking back to my 10-year-old self who first decided that she wanted to fly. Yet, on the flight deck there were two males, and clearly systemic barriers were in the way of diversifying this industry. School talks revolved around becoming a doctor, or an accountant or even studying engineering, but for the niche field of aviation there were no representatives who I could aspire to be. So therefore, my journey to now has been far from smooth. It involves research, a LOT of research, convincing other people of my ability and a considerable amount of motivation and hard work.

Throughout my childhood, I had a diverse range of hobbies, from music to creative writing to public speaking. Further, I had a love of mathematics, and a competitive side when it came to beating my sister at mental maths. It was later in my early childhood when became more exposed to and aware of aviation. However, it never really seemed an option. Being one of three sisters meant that ensuring equal opportunity for all of us was important to my parents. With the financial side of aviation, providing for three aspiring pilots would not have been an option, however thankfully my siblings found their own passions in other fields. When I was 12 my family decided to treat me to my first flying lesson and I’d never experienced anything like it. The rush of adrenaline, the ethereal views and the feeling that I was behind the most powerful machine in the world, a PA28. Maybe now describing this aircraft as the most powerful machine in the world sounds like a bit of an overstatement, but back then when the greatest thrill I had been exposed to was a ride at the theme park, it was pretty amazing.

When I reached the age of 16, the proper research began. I’d taken advice, focused on GCSEs but as I approached sixth form my thirst to be in the skies again was getting stronger and stronger. But as I learnt more, my list of unanswered questions grew. I had to use my passion for aviation as a forcefield with people telling me that the exams involved were impossible, and that without going to university I would never make it as an airline pilot. Hearing this negativity and pessimism from leaders in my educational establishment really knocked my confidence. I had been so excited to start getting more immersed into the industry, yet I had never felt so withdrawn. I had A Level exams approaching, and whilst everyone was completing their UCAS applications for university, I had no idea what I would be doing the following year.

I had never had so much uncertainty, as prior to this my education was laid out. Without clear goals, it was increasingly difficult to build up the motivation to get there. Then, the coronavirus hit. I was sent home from school and that was it. The industry plummeted. Headlines consisted of airlines going bankrupt, travel ceasing and training academies suffering greatly. Once again, without much insider knowledge, all I could go on was the news and it seemed very pessimistic. Consequently, I did what I had to do, and I went and got a job.

I worked in a call centre for just over a year before switching to a managerial role in a fresh produce trading business alongside running children’s activity camps and teaching the piano. As much as I was busy, I’d never felt so far away from the industry I longed to be in but it really did feel impossible. I had time to reflect on what had happened, and I looked back to pictures of my 12-year-old self on that very first flight, and I knew that if she had that dream, I could not disappoint myself or settle for second best.

I did the research, so much research. I saved up for my deposit, and I started looking into integrated courses. I wanted a degree, and there were a few ATO’s that offered this. With covid, I never had the chance to even go and look around these academies, so I had to convince my parents that I knew what I was doing, when realistically I was taking a very big leap into what was, the largely unknown. I came across Leading Edge Aviation, it was a newer academy and had a more personal feel. I didn’t want to be a number or a statistic, and speaking to them made me feel like a professional pilot (to be). Now, I must emphasise, convincing two parents, neither of whom had much knowledge about aviation, that investing so much money into an organisation that was essentially a business, was a good idea.

However, at the start of 2022 I had done it and I was there, in my first ground school class. What a moment! That however is when I realised, I felt 10 steps behind my peers. They all either had hours or connections or pilots in the family, yet I was completely ab-initio, asking the most basic questions as my exposure to aviation was way behind theirs. I had this mental battle of deciding if it was because I wasn’t smart enough or just had not had the same education. So what did I do? I went back to what I knew best and what I had always done, my research. I had been lucky enough to complete a flying future day with British Airways back in 2017 and still had the same inspire email address. So I sent them an email expressing my interest in helping out further. I researched on LinkedIn who was running the programmes and sent a compelling message describing my reasoning and passion; 6 months later I was accepted onto the Ambassador Program.

There it was, I was finally making those connections and finding myself completely immersed into aviation. Not only have I discovered who I want to work for, but I am helping out at events, learning from their pilots, but most importantly speaking to young individuals who have been in the same position as me a few years earlier. I decided that not only was my main goal to become a pilot, but now it was to help and show others how they can do the same. I created my instagram, @pilotlilya, and started networking with other companies about how I could create positive change in the industry. I am so excited to share the projects that I am currently working on and I really do hope that as platforms such as Elevate(her) grow, aviation will become both accessible and diverse.

Amelia Earhart stated “Women, like men, should try to do the impossible.” I think that it is important to take these strides, with courage, challenge perceptions, and become these role models ourselves. To even inspire one individual and make a difference means a lot to me, because without other women I would not be where I am today. Breaking barriers promotes progress.