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‘Aspire’ programme for sixth form takes off with Tornado pilot

Thursday 28 January 2016

WEB Mandy Hickson with Harry Evans and James Kemp

Having blazed a trail as the RAF’s first female fast jet pilot, motivational speaker Mandy Hickson now spends her working life inspiring others to believe the sky’s the limit.

Speaking to sixth form students at The Grammar School at Leeds (GSAL), Mandy talked about her journey from cadet in the local air training corps to pilot in a frontline Tornado squadron.

When Mandy accepted her commission in the RAF women were not allowed to train as pilots. It was only through her persistence and the support of a senior officer who spotted her potential that she was accepted onto the pilot training course as a ‘test case’ to see how far a woman could progress. Even then it was thanks to the support of her fellow officers and her own incredible resolve that she made it over the final hurdle to become a Tornado pilot.

Telling her story with humour and some self-deprecating anecdotes, Mandy gave a revealing insight into the barriers she had faced to become a fast jet pilot and the realities of serving in a war zone, and admitted that she couldn’t have achieved it without the teamwork and camaraderie she had enjoyed throughout her RAF career.

For Mandy, TEAM is an acronym for ‘together everyone achieves more’. Mandy said: “It can take someone else to see the potential in you, but you must believe in yourself. You’re at a critical point yourselves; now it’s you who can take you where you want to be. Discover your passions and you won’t have to work another day – it’s not work if you love it!”

Mandy’s talk was the launch event for the new Aspire programme for sixth form students, introduced to complement the academic curriculum in sixth form by helping students to develop the skills and personal qualities sought by universities and employers in addition to good grades. The programme includes a series of talks by inspirational speakers, taught courses to learn new creative, practical and life skills, and an afternoon a week spent on voluntary work, sport or mentoring activities.

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