In need of a wingman? Meet Andrew at Flight Deck Wingman, the pilot career advice specialists

We have been partners with the Flight Deck Wingman team since last year, and have been catching up with their founder and director, Andrew, on what led him to become involved with us and why he is a huge advocate of women in aviation.

What is Flight Deck Wingman?

“Flight Deck Wingman supports aspiring pilots in getting their dream job, by offering courses on flight school and airline assessment day preparation, as well as CV services and career support. We also offer simulator preparation.”

“I work with a team of highly-experienced wingmen who are on hand to advise aspiring pilots, no matter what stage of their flying journey they are at. It has been a challenging 18 months for aviation and we offer all kinds of support.”

How did you hear about us?

“I had seen the BWPA on Twitter and I then happened to meet one of your members last year. We chatted about the organisation and what you do. I thought it was brilliant and am pleased to now work so closely with the BWPA team.”

Andrew believes that supporting women in aviation is paramount: “95% of commercial pilots are male and less than 1% of captains are women. I truly believe if you don’t see it, you won’t be it, so I think it is vital for young girls to grow up seeing women in aviation. We are slowly seeing change, and supporting girls and women interested and involved in aviation is crucial, as well as making them aware of the opportunities and financial support available. We were pleased to be able to offer two scholarships this year through the BWPA.”

We were happy to hear from Andrew that one of this year’s BWPA Flight Deck Wingman Scholarship winners, Grace McKellar, recently completed her course with Flight Deck Wingman, and was one of three women on the five person course.

“This was the first time in the six years of Flight Deck Wingman that we had a female-majority course, which was amazing! Seeing this shows that although there is a long way to go before we see a real shift, there are a lot of positive changes happening and women are challenging the norm.”

What does Andrew think is a good starting point for anyone interested in getting involved in aviation?

“Gliding is a hobby of mine; I think also, try researching local flying clubs and schools, and look into a trial lesson. Joining organisations like the BWPA is also a great way to meet other women (and men!) in aviation.”

As well as being an advocate of women in aviation and a scholarship supporter, Andrew is a BWPA member (yes, male members are welcome!) and is pleased to offer fellow members a discount (make sure you are logged in to view member discounts) on Flight Deck Wingman services.

“It has been great working with the team at the BWPA, and the Flight Deck Wingman team and I look forward to continuing our partnership in 2022. We would love to hear from members about how we can help them with their pilot career.”

We thank Andrew for his time and, to paraphrase one of Hollywood’s favourite pilots, you can definitely be our wingman anytime!

Find out more about Flight Deck Wingman’s team and services on their website, follow them on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter, or check out Andrew’s ‘For Flying Out Loud‘ podcast.