Honorary doctorate for RAF’s first female combat pilot
The Royal Air Force’s first female fast-jet pilot has been awarded with an Honorary Doctorate by Bournemouth University, in recognition of her efforts to promote inclusivity and motivate others.
Jo…
The Royal Air Force’s first female fast-jet pilot has been awarded with an Honorary Doctorate by Bournemouth University, in recognition of her efforts to promote inclusivity and motivate others.
Jo Salter MBE joined the RAF’s University Cadetship scheme at the age of 18 – in the first year it was opened to women.
Having qualified as an Engineering Officer, a change in law enabled women to become pilots for the first time and Jo began her flight training. She later qualified as a fast-jet pilot and became the first woman to gain combat-ready status.
Overseas missions
Having been involved in NATO exercises around the world, including supporting the ‘no-fly zone’ over Iraq in the mid-1990s, she went on to become an RAF flight instructor.
Today she leads thousands of air cadets on flights as an Honorary Group Captain and continues to use her experiences to motivate others as an author and public speaker.
Her experiences in the male-dominated world of the RAF had made her passionate about inclusivity; in her current role as Director with PwC, Jo is helping to shape the organisation’s future leaders.
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