Ryanair pilot Annie Hellner (pictured) said that she had to deal with sexism from passengers to get her dream job
A female pilot says that she has had to overcome sexism from passengers in order to follow in her father’s footsteps in the profession.
Londoner Annie Hellner, 25, originally from Malmo, Sweden, said that she had to deal with sexist rants and comments before becoming a pilot for budget airline Ryanair.
Miss Hellner, who was inspired to become a pilot by her father, revealed the difficulties she has faced, with one passenger telling her that flying an aeroplane was ‘a man’s job’.
According to her Facebook, she started her job at Ryanair in June 2016.
Miss Hellner highlighted the sexism she has faced, though she praised some passengers for the support they gave her.
She said: ‘There’s been passengers who have doubted my ability to fly the plane, simply because I’m a woman.
The pilot revealed how she was subjected to a rant from one male passenger who said that flying aeroplanes was a ‘man’s job’
‘I remember one man who, when he found out that I was the pilot, started to complain about why I was let into the flight deck, and that women shouldn’t be flying airplanes because it’s a man’s job.
‘I think I speak for all female pilots when I say that every female pilot has had similar experiences at least once in their career.
Miss Hellner revealed how she was inspired by her father who was a pilot in the 1980s (pictured)
‘Most of the comments I get are positive though, many passengers tell me that they’re glad to see a woman in the flight deck and that I should be proud of myself.
‘I just hope that we can come to a point when there’s no male or female pilots but simply just pilots, because that’s exactly what we are.’
Miss Hellner paid tribute to her father and also discussed the formative years that inspired her to take to the skies.
She said: ‘My father was the one who inspired me to become a pilot.
‘He was a pilot himself back in the eighties and flew commercial for a couple of years until he unfortunately lost his license due to sickness.
‘He always brought me and my older brother to all kinds of air shows and flight museums, listening to him telling stories about when he was a pilot made me fall in love with aviation as well.
‘When I was 12 or 13 I decided that I too wanted to become a pilot and started to work hard in school to achieve my goal.
‘I started my pilot education in August 2012 and finished in January 2016, three weeks later I got my first airline job as a First Officer.
The Londoner, who is originally from Malmo, Sweden, said that she was inspired to become a pilot and to follow her dreams by her pilot father (pictured with her)
‘After deciding all that time ago where I wanted to be, here I am 13 years later in the right seat of a Boeing 737!’
The pilot, who has so far touched down in 30 countries during her career, went on to detail the perks of her role.
She also gave advice to any other women who want to follow their dreams despite the barriers they sometimes face.
‘The rush of adrenaline is simply amazing, when you move the thrust levels for take-off and hear the jet engines spool up, it’s something you’ll never get tired of. Sometimes I still can’t believe that I’m piloting a Boeing 737,’ she said.
Miss Hellner said that she decided to become a pilot when she was young, she said: ‘When I was 12 or 13 I decided that I too wanted to become a pilot’
‘There are definitely a few perks, the first one being the office view of course. I would bet that I have the best view in the world.
‘You’ll get to watch sunsets and sunrises, different kinds of weather phenomena and see famous landmarks like the Eiffel Tower in Paris and Colosseum in Rome.
‘I also like that it’s not a 9 to 5 kind of job. Every day is different, it never gets boring.
The pilot, who has so far touched down in 30 countries during her career, also urged women to follow their dreams and ignore sexist comments and pressure
‘Some days you’re on early shift and have to get up at 3 in the morning and other days on the late shift going to bed at 3 in the morning.’
‘My father always said to me that you can do anything as long as you have the strength, willpower and courage to do it, and I’ve lived by these words.
‘Basically, don’t give up and never stop believing in yourself
A photo shared by the pilot on one of her flights, she says that the views she sees are one of the perks of her job