G'day!

G'Day

Welcome to my blog.

In 2008, I received a trial flight in a light aircraft - a flight which changed my life. After a mere thirty minutes in an asthmatic old Cessna, I decided I would become a pilot. It was love at first flight. As Leonardo Da Vinci famously said - Once you have tasted flight, you will forever walk the earth with your eyes turned skyward, for there you have been, and there you will always long to return.”

However, like any relationship, there were highs (and there were puns!) and there were many moments where I thought I would never grasp this new skill.

After fifteen instructors, six flying schools and enough tears to fill a dam, I became a private pilot. And, because of a strong masochistic streak, I decided to study for my Commercial Pilot's Licence.

This blog is a working narrative of my time as a pilot, through my personal writing, my round Australia trip and my career as an aviation journalist, magazine editor, customer engagement manager for AvPlan EFB and aircraft salesperson for Cirrus Sydney.

Aviation has changed my life: through learning to fly I have discovered a part of myself that is resilient, organised and capable of great joy as a result of hard work, setbacks and learning.

In the words of Socrates, “Man must rise above the Earth – to the top of the atmosphere and beyond – for only thus will he fully understand the world in which he lives.”

Thanks for reading, and please feel free to email me with advice and suggestions on

girl.with.a.stick@gmail.com

Tuesday, February 10, 2015

Girl with a Relay Stick



I don’t think I know one person who hasn’t been touched by cancer. My aunt died of breast cancer at the age of 39; my husband’s mother died of cancer when he was seven, and my father in law has recently battled (and won) a nasty attack of bowel cancer.

One in ten women – including my self and my lovely sister in law – know what it’s like to have an irregular pap smear result; and I’ve been having breast cancer screening since I was 29.

Whether we like it or not, cancer is part of our lives.

With that in mind, it’s with huge pleasure that I take part in the Women Pilots’ Relay of Flight to raise funds for the Cancer Council. As a private pilot with around 600 hours, I’ll find any reason I can to fly, and there can be no better reason than flying to raise awareness about something that is such a huge presence in all of our lives.

I’m excited to be carrying the baton from Mallacoota to Merimbula on my way home to Sydney from the Avalon Air Show. As a member of the Australian Women Pilots’ Association, I’m proud to be part of a team of women, from all walks the aviation sector – from balloons to 737s – who are so committed to raising public awareness in a way that’s fun and adventurous.

Additionally, as a member of the AvPlan EFB team – who are supplying an iPad with a full version of AvPlan EFB for the duration of the relay – I’m thrilled to be contributing in a practical way that ensures improved situational awareness for the team.

I’d like to thank my dear friend Andrew Andersen, for permitting me to fly his lovely C182 – VH-OPA – for this leg of the trip.

If you’d like to sponsor me as part of the Relay Team, please click here

Onwards and Upwards!




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