HIGH FLYING FEMALE PILOT

AS THE pair of Lynx helicopters hover side by side, for a moment it is impossible not to wince as it seems the pair of great whirring blades are about to touch.

To watch the Royal Navy's helicopter display team, the Black Cats, is a tense if exhilarating experience, which leaves you with a sense of complete awe for dolce and gabbana handbags the guys that pilot these mighty aircraft.

But as they land, and the blades slow and fade, there's a further surprise in store, when the lead pilot steps from the plane, unbuckles the high-tech helmet, and lifts it off to reveal the blonde locks of a lady.

Far from being a macho, pumped-up "Top Gun", soft-voiced Lieutenant Becky Frater is calm and collected as she chats.

The former Clevedon geography teacher became the first woman to fly with the Black Cats - the Royal Navy's version of the Red Arrows - when she stepped straight into the lead helicopter earlier this year.

Now Becky is returning to her home city to perform with the Black Cats at this weekend's Balloon Fiesta.

"It should be fun, I'm really looking forward to it," the 36- year-old says. "It will be nice to get back to Bristol."

Becky is currently based at RNAS Yeovilton, where her day job sees her working as an instructor on the same Fleet Air Arm Lynx choppers that she uses for her weekend air displays with fellow Black Cats pilot Lieutenant Chris Chambers.

Becky said: "We get to travel all over the country performing at public events and educating people about the role of the Fleet Air Arm. It's amazing how few people know we even exist.

"Most people think aircraft in the military are always flown by the RAF, and have no idea that the Royal Navy has its own air arm."

In fact, Becky's first experience of the military was flying Lynx helicopters for the Army.

"Although I enjoyed teaching, I was young and yearned for more adventure and excitement in my life," she said. "A lot of my friends had joined the Army, so I made the tough decision to leave behind a perfectly good job for a whole new life.

"But I knew from the moment I walked through the gates at Sandhurst that I'd made the right decision.

"I was actually taken into the Army with sponsorship for my training from the education corps, which offers educational courses to serving soldiers.

Sexy Costumes

"But during my training, somebody asked if I'd ever thought about piloting helicopters for a living, and I've never looked back."

Becky spent 10 years in the Army flying Lynxes, before transferring to the Royal Navy four years ago.

"I had a great time with the Army, serving all over the world in places as diverse as Iraq, Canada, Belize, Kenya and across Europe," she said.

"But flying the Lynx in the Army was very different from flying it in the Royal Navy. In the Fleet Air Arm there are many more challenges as the helicopters are generally based at sea on frigates or destroyers. Landing on the back of a ship is a skill all of its own."

She added: "It all depends where you are serving in the world. If you're off the coast of Somalia, the chances are you will be working on anti-piracy jobs, while in the Caribbean you're more likely to be pursuing drug smugglers."

Replica Watches
Replica Watches