Sophie Davies, an instructor at FTA tells us "From a young age, I dreamt of becoming a pilot. I was allowed to sit in the flight deck during a flight to Antigua and was there for the landing - and that was where my love of flying started.

"When I completed my flight training, I joined an organisation called ‘Women in Aviation’ and was inspired to become an instructor. Many women feel that aviation is a male dominated industry but year on year, the number of women pilots is increasing and I welcome that.

"We need to raise the awareness from a young age, that this is not just an industry for men and we must encourage women to join organisations such as the Air Training Corp, Women in Aviation and local flying clubs."

A timeline of female aviation

1903 - Wright Brothers successfully pilot the first propeller airplane

1906 - E. Lillian Todd becomes first woman to design and build an aircraft

1908 - Therese Peltier is the first woman to pilot an aircraft

1910 - Baroness Raymonde de Laroche is the first woman to qualify for a pilot license

1928 - Amelia Earhart crosses the Atlantic

1932 - Earhart crosses the Atlantic Ocean solo

1934 - The first woman pilot, Helen Richey, is hired for U.S. commercial airline

1942 - First U.S. women pilots to fly military aircraft

1963 - First woman in space - Valentina Tereshkova

1980 - Betty Stewart becomes the first woman to win the World Aerobatics Championship

1993 - U.S. Department of Defense opens combat aviation to women

1999 - First woman space shuttle commander - Lt. Col. Eileen Collins

2014 - Amelia Rose Earhart, a female pilot (with no relation to her legendary namesake), is preparing to recreate Earhart's final flight

Images: Rex, Getty

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