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Being 32,000 feet in the air is something most people experience maybe just once or twice a year, but for Zoe Ebrey it’s just part of her day-to-day. What started as a passion for her has

since become her full-time job, one that she says has been “completely different” every single day of her 14 years serving with the airline. Instead, she went on to study for a degree in

computer science in the early 1990s and soon began working in the IT industry. However, despite her fast-paced career, she admits she spent plenty of time dreaming about becoming an airline

pilot. It was the early 2000s when Zoe had a sudden realisation - an urge to go after the passion she had held so dearly for so long. “In the early 2000’s I decided that it was 'now or

never' to turn my passion into my career,” she says. “Becoming a pilot was my second career and I started when I was in my early 30’s.” Though becoming a pilot takes a lot of intense

training, motivation and hard work, Zoe already had a robust portfolio of experience under her belt. “I already had lots of flying experience on small aircraft so I began by studying for

theory exams alongside my full-time IT job and then left work to complete my flight training full-time,” she explains. The process was not a speedy one, though, and Zoe put in the hours in

order to reach her goals, but every minute was worth it. The dream soon became a reality. “It took around four years in total,” she recalls. “Just six months later I was off to a flying

start in my dream job having secured a place as a cadet pilot with a charter airline.” DON'T MISS Flight secrets: Pilot reveals truth about turbulence [COMMENT] Flight secrets: Pilot

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anticipated for so long, the learning didn’t stop there. “My first years were all about more and more training,” she says. “You need additional training to fly the specific aeroplane for the

airline you are with, for me this was the Airbus A320 – most people will have been on one of these on a short-haul trip.” Pilot training starts on the ground, before firing up the engines

for take-off. “This training takes weeks of intense classroom and in the full flight simulator, followed by 'base training', which is flying the aeroplane for the first time with

an experienced training captain (but without passengers),” Zoe explains. It was that heart racing first experience of taking to the skies, fully in control of a commercial airliner, that

evokes a flush of pride in Zoe to this day. The job of the pilot might seem largely mysterious to passengers, especially with the flight deck off-limits for the duration of the journey.

Luckily, Zoe is on hand to lift the cockpit curtain. “The team – Captain, First Officer and four cabin crew - arrive one hour before the flight is scheduled to depart,” she explains.

“Together we pilots review the day’s flight paperwork and the schedule which can consist of up to four flights. “For each flight one pilot flies and one pilot monitors (this includes

communicating with Air Traffic Control) and we decide who will do which on each flight that day – it’s typically split two each. “We then join the cabin crew team to brief each other on the

day ahead. Once at the aircraft we’ll meet with our dispatcher, whose team is responsible for boarding customers and loading luggage onto the aircraft.” Once in the air, the crew are

continuously on top of flight path and systems, as well as staying in constant communication with Air Traffic Control. There is one particularly enjoyable moment though. Zoe points out that

once cruising, there is “a little bit of time to enjoy the view from our ‘office’!” This is probably one of the things that really sets her job apart from your regular nine-to-five. “Who can

forget the views? Most days leaving the UK you’re soaring through the rain and clouds, to then reveal an amazing sunrise,” she reveals. She continues: “At our destination with our customers

disembarking, we will be busy preparing the aircraft to do it all again! “Once we return to our base on the final flight of the day, we’ll de-brief as a team and be heading home just 30

mins after our arrival.” Along the way, she’s been lucky enough to visit a variety of countries, but one of her aviation highlights is Gibraltar. “Flying in from the UK can sometimes require

us to fly ‘around the rock’, which gives us and passengers a stunning view of Gibraltar,” says Zoe. “Incredibly, the runway has a main road that runs across it and so each time a flight is

approaching, the airport has to close the road and inspect the runway before the aircraft lands.” While commercial journeys are exciting and rewarding, with the added bonus of an exotic stop

off, there’s something even more special about being a training captain. “Being a trainer, I love that I am able to give back to the pilot community through developing their knowledge and

skills. “It’s a very rewarding role, and one I didn’t even dream I’d be asked to do when I started out.” Zoe knows first-hand the effort it takes to achieve those ambitions, and she takes

joy from seeing others experience it for themselves. “ The most enjoyable part has to be presenting a new Captain with their 4-stripe epaulettes (that pilots wear on their shoulders, the

stripes represent your rank),” she explains. “This is an important and proud moment for any pilot marking years of hard work and it’s a pleasure and privilege that I am able to share it with

them.” It’s not just training pilots that Zoe makes a difference for. As a female pilot, one of just 5.18 percent of commercial pilots around the world according to the Air Line Pilots

Association International trade union, Zoe wants to encourage more women to pursue this worldly career. "I was once saying goodbye to our customers at the flight deck door when a lady

approached me and said, 'you’re such a great role model to my two daughters, I am so pleased you were my pilot today'. "It really surprised me, and she left the aircraft

before I could even thank her,” she recalls. “I find it incredible how my job can be seen by others and I'll always remember that flight because it was a reminder of how important it is

to bust gendered stereotypes about the job of a pilot and encourage even more women to do it. “That's something I'm really passionate about and so when I'm not flying I spend

time visiting schools with my pilot colleagues to get more young people, especially girls, interested in becoming a pilot.” Zoe hopes that maybe, she can inspire someone else to take a leap

of faith at their own “now or never moment.”