I’m a female pilot – I always get mistaken for an air hostess and people stare in airports, but it doesn’t bother me
A PILOT has revealed holidaymakers regularly stare at her in the airport and mistake her for an air hostess because she’s a woman.
Rachel Gilmour, from Largs, Ayrshire, is flying high as a commercial pilot with Loganair, taking the helm on flights from Aberdeen to all over the UK and into Europe.
The 24-year-old has wanted to fly planes since she was a little girl and insisted there was “no Plan B”.
She added: “I wanted to be a pilot and that was that.”
Rachel discovered Tayside Aviation at 17 and was accepted onto their honours course.
“I never really had a Plan B beyond being a pilot.
But it hasn’t always been easy being a female pilot in what has been, and still is, a male dominated industry.
Rachel said: “There were actually five girls who started the course at Tayside Aviation with me, and maybe 20 boys, which is probably more girls than people would expect which was great, but, inevitably, there’s been the odd comment or surprise from people that I am a commercial pilot.
“It’s mainly older people. I think the older generation perhaps still don’t think that women should be doing this and probably at my age as well.
“People don’t expect to see a woman in her twenties doing what I do.”
While the combination of her age and gender can be a challenge for other people to understand, it’s not something that would ever stop Rachel doing what she loves.
“Sometimes when I walk through the airport, I’ll see people looking at me because they probably haven’t seen a female pilot before”, she said.
“I’ve worked so hard that I don’t let things like that bother me and I’ve learned to be resilient.
“Being a pilot is a really cool thing to do and I’m all for more girls being in the industry.”
A lack of female role models and mentors has long been an issue facing the aviation sector, but pilots like Rachel are helping to inspire other females showing that its accessible regardless of gender.
Tony Banks, Chairman of Tayside Aviation, said: “On International Women’s Day, it’s more important than ever to highlight fantastic success stories, like Rachel’s, that fly the flag for women working in the aviation sector.
“However, more needs to be done to promote gender equality in the aviation sector, and we hope Rachel’s story will inspire some more women into the industry.”
For any women considering a career in aviation Rachel’s advice is to go for it and seek advice from other people who have done it.
She added: “If it’s what you want to do, just push through and go for it because, once you come out the other side and become a pilot, it’s definitely worth it.
“There’s no such thing as a ‘man’s job’. If you work hard, you can do anything you want.”