Meet Lucy Robbins: The Female Pilot Smashing Stereotypes

Meet Lucy Robins the successful Aerobility scholarship winner whose determination has made her aviation dreams a reality. Scholarship applications can be daunting, Lucy details how best to navigate the process and what she’s learnt along the way.

I was 33 years old when I realised piloting a plane could be a reality for me.

I’ve been fascinated by air travel since my first flight at around six years of age – from just over a four hour flight to Tenerife, Canary Islands (despite being delayed at Stansted for double the length of the flight!). Six years earlier, I was born at 28 weeks gestation and weighed 2lb 5oz. As a result of the premature birth, which included not receiving enough oxygen, I have a very mild form of Cerebral Palsy (CP).

I’ve never been one to let my disability stop me from doing most of the things I want to do. If there’s a work around which will allow me to physically be able to do it, I’ll do it. So much so, even as a teenager, I thought it possible to become an air hostess! It wasn’t until I told my physiotherapist of my dream future career choice that she told me, although I was physically doing great for someone with CP, (I had a slight limp), that I would have to reconsider another vocation. That was the last time I thought a career in aviation would be a possibility for me.

Around May 2022, at the age of 32, I was looking to change jobs. I had been working in facilities maintenance and was after something different. One evening on LinkedIn, before I had even started my job search a, ‘we’ll think you’ll be a good fit for this job’ advert appeared. The job was for an Aviation and Regulation Proofreader. The job title alone sounding like something I’d probably enjoy doing. After checking out the job description (which stated training would be provided), I decided to apply for the job (I’d been a proofreader before but I had no experience in the aviation industry)!

Fast-forward from two rounds of interviews, I got the job!

It was because of LinkedIn and for me, ultimately getting the proofreading job that I became aware that I could become a private pilot. Yes, me! In late 2022, thanks to LinkedIn (again), I read about Aerobility. Aerobility is a UK based, registered charity which was founded in 1993. Aerobility offers experience flights including aerobatic and virtual to the disabled, as well as scholarships and ongoing training to develop skills further, including up to PPL.

But it wasn’t until the 18th of February 2023 when I attended Aerobility’s Aurora ’23 - organised by the charity with the help of easyJet and others in the aviation industry, to raise funds by providing a flight to view the aurora borealis from the air, that I found out it was possible for myself – a person with some limited mobility restrictions, to try learning to fly. Once, I knew it was possible, I knew I had to give it a go.

Prior to our flight that afternoon, we met at Gatwick’s Sofitel hotel. I heard firsthand from many disabled people who had had their own incredible, life changing experiences flying with Aerobility. It was realised, there and then, I could have the experience of learning to fly.

One word that stuck with me that night was ‘scholarship’. Naively, I had wrongly assumed (like I had about physically disabled people not being able to be pilots), that you needed some flying experience or had to have passed all your exams in higher education to even be considered for a flying scholarship. Luckily for me that was not the case.

I was determined to apply for Aerobility’s 5 hour flying scholarship as I desperately wanted to fly and now I was working in aviation it could be beneficial to my career by helping me learn and understand some of the challenges private pilots face.

I set myself a reminder for when the scholarship application process opened, and I went to work on my application. I remember my surprise when I heard that I had passed the first round (a written piece) and then the panic setting in when I found out the second round had to be a video or voice application. I sometimes struggle with my speech, so this was slightly daunting. I’d already passed the first round, so I couldn’t pull out now. I’d rather be turned down for the scholarship with a reason as to why than not apply and not knowing if I could have been successful. Not too long after submitting my voice note, I found out that I was successful! I had won the 5-hour flying scholarship!

My 5-hour scholarship contained the 5 hours of flight time, plus pre-flight discussion of what would be covered in that day’s lesson and then a recap and logging of hours in my log book. The preflight discussion took as long as needed and I never felt rushed or pressured during any stage of my scholarship.

My experience with Aerobility was a positive one but there are a couple of things I should’ve taken into consideration beforehand:

Have a Test Flight in a Light Aircraft First

I had previously only been passenger on huge airliners and never experienced airsickness before. (On my first lesson I felt very nauseus, especially when I had control of the light aircraft – I tend to be heavy-handed). I spent most of my first lesson thinking, ‘the scenery looks great up here’ and in the next instance ‘I can’t wait to land’. I’m glad I stuck at it and I learned to make small movements when in control of the plane.

Distance to Travel

I knew when applying for the scholarship that the drive to Aerobility in Blackbushe, Surrey from my home in East Sussex would be at least a two hour drive (on a good day), but I hadn’t factored in how stiff and fatigued I’d be after the drive. I arranged for my lessons to be early in the day to help me beat feeling fatigued in my lesson. Another factor to consider when deciding where to have lessons but can be overlooked in the excitement of it all is take into account the cost of travel.

Recommended Reading

I highly recommend the Air Pilot’s Manual – Flying Training Manual (Book 1) which covers all the topics you’ll go over whilst learning to fly in an easy-to-understand format. It’ll give you an idea of what to realistically expect.

Having successfully completed my 5-hour scholarship, I’m now busy applying for others. My applications are currently in review, so I have yet to experience my first scholarship rejection. I know it will happen and I am prepared to work on the reasons why I was rejected. Here are a few more tips for consideration when applying for a scholarship.

• Be sure you know what you’re applying for. Not all flying scholarships are aimed at beginners.

• Scholarship applications vary. Some require a lot more time and information than others and you may need to become a member of the organisation offering the scholarship.

• Don’t give up if your application has been rejected. Use the rejection as an advantage and build on the weaker areas of your application so you’re ready to reapply.

• Connect with other aviators and join clubs/groups and ask them for advice.

• Do your research. Know what you’re getting yourself into.

As for looking for finding scholarships:

The internet is of course the main place to search for scholarships, however, the internet is vast and can feel like you’re searching for a needle in a haystack.

Word-of-mouth is important. Working in aviation, my co-workers have been supportive and have been looking for scholarships for me too or offering me advice on where to look.

Joining an aviation organisation can be beneficial (and not only for their scholarship opportunities). Keep in mind that some organisations require you to be a member (requiring a paid subscription) to be eligible to apply for their scholarship opportunities.