“Most women I know can’t even park a car. Why is a woman flying a plane?”
This dismissive comment was posted on a video posted by a 25-year-old female pilot who is fighting against these kinds of prejudices with TikTok videos of her successful life.
And they prove to be hugely inspiring: she now has 380,000 followers.
Meet Katherine Maloney, who flies both fixed-wing aircraft and helicopters, does marketing for an airline, and flies to work frequently herself.
Katherine told MailOnline Travel that the hardest thing about working in a male-dominated sector is that ‘talent is evenly distributed, but opportunity is not’.
Katherine Maloney (above) has amassed a massive following of 380,000 users on TikTok by showing off her skills flying helicopters and fixed-wing aircraft
Katherine is based at Lee on Solent Airport on the south coast of England. She ‘loves exploring new airports’ and has been on some ‘fantastic trips’
Katherine, who works as Marketing Director for Transair Flight Equipment, earned her private helicopter license at age 19 after approximately 70 hours of flying time, and four years later she earned her fixed-wing pilot’s license.
She is based at Lee on Solent Airport on the south coast of England (formerly a Royal Navy airfield called HMS Daedalus), but ‘loves exploring new airfields’.
She has been on a number of ‘fantastic trips’, including around the Needles on the Isle of Wight, over Newquay in Cornwall and on the River Thames in central London.
Katherine said one of the things that surprised her about her career as a pilot was the lack of female representation in the aviation industry.
In the UK, less than five percent of pilots are women, which Katherine describes as a ‘staggering statistic’.
She said: ‘During my training I did not meet another female student or instructor. This is not to detract from the wonderful male instructors and mentors I have had on my aviation journey. However, I felt a lack of connection with other like-minded women.’
Katherine obtained her private helicopter license at the age of 19 after approximately 70 hours of flying time and four years later she obtained her fixed wing aircraft license. She is pictured on a Scottish Aviation Bulldog 120
Katherine said one of the things that surprised her about becoming a pilot was the lack of female representation in the aviation industry. She is pictured above next to a Spitfire she had the chance to fly
Katherine said she didn’t meet another female student or instructor during her training. She said she felt ‘a lack of connection with other like-minded women’
This is what made her Raise heran online resource platform and community focused on ‘informing, inspiring, supporting and connecting women in aviation worldwide’.
Katherine said: ‘While some progress has been made in aviation equality, we still face additional barriers within the aviation industry.’
Katherine claims that women in the sector are still ‘a large minority’ and often feel ‘disconnected’ due to challenges such as a ‘lack of facilities for women in airports’ and insufficient support for women trying to balance a career with family life.
She said: “The aviation industry is taking big steps to become more accessible and inclusive, and Elevate(her) is leading the way in raising awareness of the challenges women face in aviation and encouraging women to demand the industry to do better.”
Launched in 2023, the community is completely free to access and has already gathered a large number of members across five continents and 30 countries.
According to Katherine, the platform contains ‘all the information you need to get started in the aviation industry, not just as a pilot, but for the many different careers available in the sector’.
Katherine claimed that women in the industry are still ‘very much in the minority’ and often feel ‘disconnected’. She is pictured above next to the Hughes 500C helicopter
Katherine said: ‘While some progress has been made in aviation equality, we still face additional barriers within the aviation industry’
In the UK, less than five percent of pilots are women, which Katherine described as a ‘staggering statistic’. Katherine is pictured next to the Piper Super Cub monoplane
Katherine said Elevate(her) is “at the forefront of raising awareness for the challenges women face in aviation.” She is pictured (center) with members of the community
They create resources for schools and other organizations with information about aviation careers and hold physical meetings to connect women across the country. Their first meeting abroad will be held in July.
One of the events they host, The Annual Women in Aviation Networking Event, is the largest gathering of women in aviation in the UK and Europe. This year’s event, held in May, had almost 100 women in aviation, Katherine said.
Katherine said these events are “essential” for women to make connections.
She added: ‘Men and women who work in aviation are incredibly passionate people from all backgrounds, who all share a passion for flying.
“The aviation sector is now more accessible and inclusive than before, with changes continually being made to improve pathways.”
To see more of Katherine, visit her on TikTok at www.tiktok.com/@moloneykatherine. For more information about Elevate(her), visit the website at elevateheraviation.co.uk/.