The Sky's The Limit

Kate McWilliams, Goodwood Aero Club’s new ambassador, is hoping to inspire more girls to take to the skies

- Simone Hellyer

Becoming the UK’s youngest female commercial captain at 26 led Kate McWilliams to reach out and inspire other young girls to follow their dreams And now Kate is hoping to act as a role model to kids in Sussex.

The Goodwood Aerodromebased club relaunched last year with a new management team and Kate’s appointment as its ambassador. She is the perfect example of someone working hard to turn their dream into a reality. She qualified as a commercial pilot at the tender age of 21, achieving an ambition she had held since she was a teenager growing up in Carlisle.

“When I was younger I didn’t really know that becoming a pilot was an option,” Kate says, adding: “I wasn’t having a very good time at school because I was being picked on for being the geeky kid in the class. So my mum took me to my local Air Cadets group as she wanted me to have a community outside of school.

“And that just changed my life because I’d found somewhere that I fitted in and it really made me grow in confidence.”