Adventure in the Sky 1990–2025: A Women’s History Month Celebration
The British Women Pilots’ Association was delighted to collaborate with the Royal Aeronautical Society Bristol Branch and Aerospace Bristol to deliver a special Women’s History Month lecture, Adventure in the Sky 1990–2025.
Held at Aerospace Bristol on 26 March 2026, the event welcomed an audience of 80 aviation enthusiasts for an evening of adventure, insight, and humour, led by BWPA member Fiona Macaskill.
Fiona shared her extraordinary flying journey, which began with paragliding while raising four children – a journey that saw her set four world records. Later, as a grandmother, she expanded into powered flight in two- and four-seat aircraft, leading expeditions across both hemispheres, competing in air racing, earning Royal Aero Club recognition and setting further world records. Throughout the talk, Fiona captivated the audience with engaging stories, humour and candid reflections on adventure, risk and perseverance.
The evening also highlighted a special aviation legacy. Fiona is the daughter of Geoffrey Bertram Robert Feilden, the distinguished engineer who worked alongside Frank Whittle on the development of the world’s first jet engine. His contribution to British aviation is commemorated at Aerospace Bristol, where seat D7 in the conference room is named in his honour.
Audience engagement continued into a lively Q&A session, where Fiona’s husband, Angus, provided valuable insight into the realities, preparation and commitment required to compete in flying events – a contribution that was warmly appreciated by attendees.
Reflecting on the event, Regions Lead, Rania Regaieg said:
“I really enjoyed organising this event and bringing together a collaboration between two organisations that I’m proud to be a member of and volunteer with. Fiona’s talk was extraordinary – she kept it light and injected humour into her storytelling throughout. Angus’s contributions during the Q&A were greatly appreciated too, especially in highlighting the effort it takes to enter and compete in these flying competitions. Fiona and Angus are quite simply the coolest grandparents I’ve ever met. It does make my own grandmother slightly jealous whenever she hears me say that – but I don’t care!”
Fiona Macaskill herself described the evening as:
“A great turnout with a very appreciative audience who laughed a lot! There were some very good questions afterwards too. Altogether, a fun evening and so nice to catch up with so many friends and meet lots of interesting new people.”
The BWPA is proud to support events that celebrate women’s achievements in aviation, inspire across generations and strengthen collaboration within the aerospace community.
