Léa Thiery is a French private jet pilot and the first female captain at VistaJet. She has achieved success in a field where women are vastly outnumbered by men. Her story serves as a testament to the power of encouragement and hard work, and it provides much-needed inspiration for aspiring female pilots who face challenges in achieving their dreams. Let’s explore how Léa broke barriers and soared high in her career as a private jet captain.
Family Encouragement
Léa’s journey began with support from her family. They encouraged her to follow her passions from an early age and explore any opportunity that made her heart race. This support allowed her to take risks without fear of failure, enabling her to pursue a career in aviation.
The Nice Airport Experience
When she was just 14 years old, Léa had a chance visit to an airport in Nice that would shape the rest of her life. Looking around, she saw planes taking off one after another and knew immediately that this was what she wanted to do for the rest of her life — fly planes. This experience gave her the courage to pursue aviation despite its male-dominated environment.
Meeting Her Mentor Béatrice Vialle
At 18, Léa met Béatrice Vialle — an inspiring French businesswoman and mentor who showed Léa what could be accomplished with determination and hard work. Through meeting Béatrice, Léa realized she could indeed become a pilot if she worked hard enough, regardless of gender stereotypes or preconceived notions about flying planes being “only for men”.
Pursuing a Career in Aviation
Armed with newfound courage and inspired by her mentor’s success story, Léa started pursuing an education and training program that would qualify her as a pilot. Even though it wasn’t easy —Léa dealt with many challenges due to gender stereotypes—she persevered until she earned all the necessary qualifications required for becoming a private jet captain at VistaJet in 2014.
Traveling To 1,900 Airports In 187 Countries
As soon as she joined VistaJet, Léa began traveling around the world on different aircraft models ranging from small turboprops to Global 600 jets (which can travel up to 6 hours nonstop). Through these travels, she has been able to experience different cultures and meet diverse people from all walks of life — something she finds incredibly enriching both professionally and personally.
VistaJet’s Commitment To Gender Diversity
While there is still much progress needed before true gender equality is achieved within the aviation industry (the percentage of female pilots is currently only 5%), VistaJet is committed to making sure women can reach leadership positions without facing any discrimination or bias due to their gender identity or sexual orientation.
In Summary
The inspirational story of Captain Léa Thiery reminds us that anything is possible when we believe in ourselves and strive for our dreams despite any obstacles we may face along the way—especially when it comes to breaking barriers in male-dominated industries like aviation. With hard work combined with encouragement from mentors, families, or friends anyone can achieve greatness regardless of gender. Not only did Captain Thiery prove this but also VistaJet’s commitment towards diversity allows more women to take part in such fields within corporate aviation.