A young air cadet has been propelled one step closer to her dream of becoming a commercial airline pilot thanks to a £10,000 scholarship scheme.
Zoe Burnett, 17, from Dyce, has always dreamed of taking to the skies after growing up watching the aircraft at Aberdeen Airport.
And now, thanks to Air BP’s Sterling Pilot Scholarship, she has secured her private pilot’s licence after months of intense training at Tayside Aviation in Dundee.
Zoe – who has been a member of the Aberdeen 102 airport squadron since she was 13 – is the first female to be awarded the prestigious grant by Air BP.
The Dyce Academy pupil said: “I’m over the moon. And it was amazing gaining it through the scholarship, I couldn’t have done it otherwise.
“I’m just waiting for my licence to arrive in the post now.
“I live in Dyce near the airport, so I’ve been watching the airplanes since a young age. It inspired me to get a job in aviation, and I’ve wanted to be a pilot for a very long time now, so it’s really cool that I’m now working towards being a commercial pilot.
“Now I’m looking to apply for some airline cadetships through places like CTC Aviation, and airlines like Easyjet, Virgin and that kind of thing, or if that doesn’t work out then I’ll be looking into some degree programmes throughout the UK.
“There’s lots of different options.”
Zoe recently took her step-father Kenny up into the air on a training flight, and said that although he was a little timid, he was immensely proud and confident in his daughter’s piloting skills.
She added: “I just love the feeling of being in the air, and looking down all the way to the ground, it’s a really cool feeling and something that not everybody gets to do everyday.
“I took my step-dad up with me last week in the back seat – I was still with my instructor because I can’t fly on my own until my actual licence arrives.
“He was amazed, he had never experienced anything like it or flown in a light aircraft before. I think he was a little bit scared at first, but I think he was quite confident and really enjoyed it.”