Britain's First Female Fast Jet Pilot Launches New Aviation Academy
Britain's first female fast jet pilot, Jo Salter, flew an aircraft to officially open a new charity-run aviation academy aimed at attracting more women into the industry. The launch comes amid warnings of a huge global shortage of aviation professionals.
A new aviation training academy was officially opened on Saturday at Cranfield Airport in Bedfordshire by Mission Aviation Fellowship (MAF), a charity that flies aid and healthcare workers to remote communities worldwide. The event coincided with Girls in Aviation Day, and the ceremonial flight was piloted by Dr Jo Salter, who in 1992 became the first British woman to fly a Tornado fast jet.
MAF said it was launching the academy partly in response to industry projections showing a need for roughly 1.4 million new aviation professionals globally by 2034. A spokesperson for the charity described an acute shortage of aviation workers and said the academy hopes to help close that gap, with a particular focus on encouraging more women to enter the field.
Salter urged people not to let fear hold them back, saying the biggest challenge is often overcoming self-doubt. She pointed to MAF co-founder Betty Greene, a World War Two pilot who helped establish the charity 80 years ago and went on to complete more than 4,600 flights delivering missionaries, dignitaries and cargo to hard-to-reach parts of the world.
The new academy, based at Cranfield Airport, is open to aspiring pilots and engineers regardless of prior flying experience, though successful applicants must commit to at least six years of overseas service with the charity. Among those training is 19-year-old Sophie Jones, MAF's youngest engineering trainee, who is one of just four women on her aeronautical engineering course and said meeting Salter was inspiring.
MAF's chief executive said the charity's services are needed more than ever to reach vulnerable, isolated communities affected by climate change, poverty and conflict.
