EasyJet has offered Britain’s youngest licensed pilot a mentorship to help her fulfil her ambition of becoming a professional.
Ellie Carter, 16, qualified as Britain’s youngest solo glider pilot after completing two six-minute flights on her 14th birthday.
Then in January, she went on to become the country’s youngest solo powered aircraft pilot.
Now, Ellie has been paired with easyJet’s line training captain Zoe Ebrey to further inspire her passion for aviation.
“Flying absolutely amazes me and continues to surprise me, so I can see how rewarding a career as a pilot could be,” said Ellie.
“I hope my story will encourage young girls to accomplish whatever they set their mind to because if I can do it, so can they.”
EasyJet has long been at the forefront of promoting the interests and ambitions of women in aviation.
Women account for just 1 in 20 (5%) of the world’s pilots; easyJet is targeting 20% of its new pilot entrants to be women by 2020.
Ellie’s mentor Ebrey said: “It’s fantastic to meet such a passionate young commercial pilot in the making.
"Ellie’s drive, determination and achievements to date are impressive, and I look forward to helping her more on her journey.”
A survey of 2,000 British patents and children aged six to 16 by easyJet found more than half of young girls would consider a STEM (science, technology, engineering and maths) career.
However, 51% of those children surveyed said they believed their career choices were restricted by traditional views of “men’s” and “women’s” jobs, just 15% better than their parents’ response (16%), which easyJet said showed how little the situation had changed in a generation.
Captain David Morgan, easyJet director of flight operations, added: “We want our people to reflect the diversity of the customers we fly and the communities in which we operate, so encouraging more girls and women to take on this hugely rewarding career is an integral part of this.”