Lorna Hutchings: passion and determination key to pilot career pathway
“Anyone can fly an aircraft – you don’t have to have a degree in astrophysics or A-levels, you just have to have a passion and a commitment,” explained Lorna Hutchings, deputy chief pilot at Virgin Atlantic. “It’s all about being determined and having a passion for the industry.”
Speaking to Aerospace Global News onboard ‘Ruby Rebel’ – the latest addition to Virgin Atlantic’s fleet, recently delivered by Hutchings herself – she elaborated on the ongoing initiative to increase gender diversity within the cockpit.
Although originally training and working as a research scientist, flying has always been a passion for Hutchings; initially starting gliding aged seven. After initially working for low-cost carriers, “I remember waiting on the taxiway [at London Heathrow airport] and I saw a Virgin Atlantic jumbo jet coming in to land,” she recollects, pinpointing the moment she wanted to work for her current carrier. “You can’t work in this industry unless you’re passionate about it – it’s so varied and no day is the same,” she continued, citing the need for dynamic personalities to work together.
However, having held a commercial license for nearly 24 years (19 of which have been spent in the employ of Virgin), the percentage of women on the flight deck has not significantly changed in this time – with Virgin Atlantic’s gender diversity approximately matching the national average of 5.6% female flight crew.
Although positive change isn’t “something that we’re going to be able to switch on overnight,” Hutchings nevertheless believes that “we’re doing everything we can in mall increments”. “When you look at a long-haul aircraft such as this, carrying 264 passengers, and all the responsibility that entails, it might put a lot of people off – males and females,” she highlighted; adding that barriers to entry (in terms of confidence and uncertainty) are often self-imposed.
But with the commercial training process (something which takes around 13 months full-time) delivered by very supportive people, Hutchings concludes that interested potential pilots should embrace the opportunities on offer; recommending that candidates speak to people in the industry, visit their local airfield, and explore sponsorship and bursary options.
