‘Most women I know can’t even park a car. Why is a woman flying a plane?’
This dismissive comment was left on a video posted by a 25-year-old female private pilot who is pushing back against this sort of prejudice with TikTok videos of her high-flying life.
And they’re proving extremely inspirational – she’s amassed a following of 380,000 users.
Meet Katherine Moloney, who flies both fixed-wing aircraft and helicopters, does the marketing for an aviation company and often takes to the skies to fly herself to work.
Katherine told MailOnline Travel the hardest part of working in a male-dominated industry is that ‘talent is distributed equally, but opportunity is not’.
Katherine Moloney (above) has built a huge 380,000-user following on TikTok by showcasing 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 airfields’, and has flown on some ‘fantastic trips’
Katherine, who works as a marketing director for Transair Flight Equipment, gained her private helicopter licence at 19 after around 70 hours of flying and four years later obtained her fixed-wing aircraft licence.
She is based at Lee on Solent Airport in the South Coast of England (previously a Royal Navy airfield called HMS Daedalus) but ‘loves exploring new airfields’.
She has flown on some ‘fantastic trips’, including around the Needles on the Isle of Wight, over Newquay in Cornwall and the River Thames in Central London.
Katherine said one of the things that surprised her about becoming a pilot was the lack of female representation in the aviation industry.
In the UK, fewer than five per cent of pilots are women, which Katherine described 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 amazing male instructors and mentors I have had on my aviation journey. However, I felt a lack of connection with other like-minded women.’
Katherine gained her private helicopter licence at 19 after around 70 hours of flying and four years later obtained her fixed-wing aircraft licence. She’s pictured standing 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’s pictured above next to a Spitfire that she had the opportunity to fly
Katherine said she did not 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 led her to found Elevate(her), an online resource platform and community dedicated to ‘informing, inspiring, supporting and connecting women in aviation globally’.
Katherine said: ‘Although some progress has been made towards equality in aviation, we still face additional barriers within the aviation industry.’
Katherine claimed women in the industry are still ‘very much in the minority’ and often feel ‘disconnected’ due to challenges such as a ‘lack of female facilities at airports’ to insufficient support for women who want to balance a career with family life.
She said: ‘Aviation is making big moves to become more accessible and more inclusive, and Elevate(her) is at the forefront of creating awareness for women’s challenges within aviation and empowering women to ask the industry to be better.’
The community, which launched in 2023, is completely free to join and has already amassed a large number of members, spanning five continents and 30 countries.
According to Katherine, the platform ‘contains all the information you need to get into the aviation industry, not just as a pilot, but in the many varied careers available in the industry’.
Katherine claimed women in the industry are still ‘very much in the minority’ and often feel ‘disconnected’. She’s pictured above next to the Hughes 500C helicopter
Katherine said: ‘Although some progress has been made towards equality in aviation, we still face additional barriers within the aviation industry’
In the UK, fewer than five per cent 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 creating awareness for women’s challenges within aviation’. She’s pictured (centre) with members of the community
They create resources for schools and other organisations with information on aviation careers and host in-person socials aimed to connect women throughout the country, with their first overseas social being held in July.
One of the meetings 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 nearly 100 women in aviation attend, Katherine said.
Katherine said these events are ‘integral’ for women to form connections.
She added: ‘Men and women who work in aviation are incredibly passionate people from all backgrounds who share a common love for flying.
‘Aviation is now more accessible and more inclusive than it has been previously while making continuous dedicated changes to improve its pathways.’
To see more from Katherine visit her on TikTok at www.tiktok.com/@moloneykatherine. To find more information about Elevate(her), visit the website at elevateheraviation.co.uk/.
