A FEMALE firefighter has her sights set on becoming an airline pilot.

Ever since Vanessa Bartlett, a Humberside firefighter from Market Weighton, received a flying experience in a light aircraft for her 21st birthday at her local flying club, she’s been hooked on becoming a professional pilot alongside her role as a firefighter.

The hour-long flight changed my life forever, and now, aged 26, Vanessa says “ I love my job as a firefighter and I am so proud to be playing my part in serving her local community but becoming a pilot is also my life-long goal.

“ There is always that longing feeling to be up in the air. I’m constantly counting down the days and hours leading up to my next flight”, she said.

“Taking the controls of an aircraft for the first time felt exciting and is something I will never forget.

“I walked away from the airfield feeling exhilarated and this is a feeling that I couldn’t shake off. A little over a week after first stepping into a cockpit, I had booked my first official flying lesson.”

The following few months saw Vanessa, who works as a retained firefighter part-time in Market Weighton and full-time shift firefighter in Leeds, take on an additional third part-time job in a local pub to fund her new hobby.

She said: “It goes without saying that flying is far from cheap, but before I knew it with the extra work under my belt, the flying hours were building up nicely in my log book.

"As I passed through each milestone of my training, I became more determined and excited to achieve the next task. First, my solo flight, then my cross-country and before long I was in possession of my Private Pilot’s License (PPL).”

Vanessa’s interest in aviation has provided her with an opportunity to fly to various parts of the UK whilst training and building up flying hours. This has even included the completion of a weekend group flying trip to St Omer in France, flying from Full Sutton airfield near York.

She’s now taken the decision to train towards achieving her commercial pilots licence, but it’s pricey and Vanessa has set up a gofundme page to try and fundraise.

She said: “I have so far saved and spent a total of £20,000 towards my flying which has seen me complete my PPL, build hours towards the attainment of my commercial licence and fund written examinations.

"However, for me to be successful in my journey to become a commercial pilot, the total remaining costs associated with my training equal approximately £40,000.

"This figure includes the cost of my Commercial Pilots Licence (CPL), Multi-Engine Instruments Rating (MEIR), Airline Pilot Standard Multi Crew Certification (APS MCC) and the remaining cost of my hour building.

“I have worked incredibly hard to get this far and there is no way I’m giving up now.

"Only five percent of females are pilots, I hope with a little bit of support I can achieve my goal in the aviation industry.”

Click here to go to Vanessa's gofundme page.