Every woman harbors the spirit of flight. We talk about it, one story at a time. Our guests include superstar athletes, world champions, aviators, gritty moms, and women who can't be ignored. Join us each week and connect with women who dare to pursue their dreams and fly.
http://whenwomenfly.com
091 An Officer, Not a Gentleman: The Story of Pioneering Fighter Pilot Mandy Hickson
Mandy’s hope of becoming a fast jet pilot in the Royal Air Force was once an impossible dream. When Mandy first became interested in flying, women were not permitted to fly in the military.
But the tides turned for Mandy when the rules were finally changed to allow women to fly on the front lines. Her dream was now within reach, but the challenges had only just begun.
Mandy’s story is one that is already having an impact on future generations. In this episode, you will hear Sylvia and Mandy talk about the early influences that led to her career in aviation, building mental resilience, deciphering between when to be a leader and when to be a team player, training versus being in combat, transitioning to motherhood, and so much more.
Topics Include:
- Handling loss and setbacks
- Framing cognitive diversity as a strength
- Incremental learning
- Overcoming imposter syndrome
- Followership skills
- How compartmentalizing can benefit high-achievers
- Building a sense of camaraderie
- Mandy’s experience with training for the Royal Air Force
- Finding purpose through giving back
- And other topics...
Mandy Hickson is a former Royal Air Force pilot. She was the only female pilot on her Front Line Tornado Squadron, flying multi-million dollar fast jets. Mandy has also operated in hostile environments, including patrolling the ‘No Fly’ zone over Iraq.
Mandy has been the keynote speaker at hundreds of events and is an inspiration to women in the UK and beyond. As a trained Human Factors facilitator with the Civil Aviation Authority, Mandy uses her in-depth knowledge of aviation, calculated risk-taking, and decision-making under pressure to deliver tactical lessons from the cockpit to the boardroom.
Books Mentioned:
An Officer, Not A Gentleman, by Mandy Hickson
The Grit Factor, by Shannon Huffman Polson
Black Box Thinking, by Matthew Syed
Connect with Mandy:
Mandy’s Website
Instagram: @mandyhicksonspeaker
Twitter: @MandyHickson
Facebook
Youtube
Stay Connected:
Drop us a message on PodInbox: https://podinbox.com/whenwomenfly
Email: hello@whenwomenfly.com
Website: https://www.whenwomenfly.com/
Socials: @whenwomenfly
Signup for AIR BORN, our monthly newsletter! A letter from Sylvia will show up in your inbox, with links to her latest conversations and insights.