Rebecca Applegarth

Rebecca Applegarth, Becks to her friends, is 17 years old and in her final year of A levels. Her passion for flying, combined with her passion for writing, means she is clear where she wants her career to take her.

Already training to become a journalist specialising in aviation, she plans to start university in 2020. A gap year is also on the cards, which will be dedicated to progressing her flight training. We're looking forward to following Rebecca's progress over the coming months.

"I've been immersed in aviation for as long as I can remember, and happily so, but only in the last year have I really started my PPL; I'm currently learning on my father's Cessna FA150K Aerobat, kept at Goodwood Aerodrome, with instructor Charlotte Dadswell and Goodwood Flying School.

"So far, I have been on twenty-six international and internal airline flights and visited seventeen airports worldwide. My first flight was to Florida, USA when I was six months old. Up until the age of five, I grew up at RAF Lyneham in Wiltshire as my father, Chris Applegarth, was a flight lieutenant flying C130K Hercules. In those five years, I flew in the Hercules with the first female RAF pilot, Julie Gibbson, one truly inspirational woman; and in the Islander over London.

"I'm lucky to have met some incredible pilots, but the real inspiration for my love of aviation has come from my father, currently a British Airways 747 pilot, and my grandfather, a former World War II Mk22 Spitfire pilot: both phenomenally experienced pilots and men I will forever be in awe of.

"My father first brought me to Goodwood 11 years ago and I have been coming back regularly ever since; it's absolutely one of my favourite places! From Goodwood, I’ve flown in a Cessna 120, a Cessna FA150K Aerobat, a Chipmunk and a Zlin.'