Top 10 Most Beatutiful Female Pilots and Their Instagrams

Sally Polly August 20, 2021 | 20:48

When we talk about pilots and Aviation, we will often think of strong, handsome males flying a jet, but women are claiming their crowns.

Top 10 beautiful female pilots on Instagram. Photo: PilotMall

Here is top 10 beautiful and talented female pilots, and their Instagram to follow.

Female pilots are increasingly common. Citing industry statistics, Mireille Goyer of the Institute for Women Of Aviation Worldwide said there are just shy of 7,000 female airline pilots in the US, which represents less than 5% of the total. However, there are currently 15,971 female student pilots, about 15%, in the system now. “Closing the gender gap begins with an up-close and personal introduction to aviation and meeting local relatable role models,” she said. (The Institute has a program to do just that.)

A number of pilots use Instagram to tell their story, inspire others, and have fun while doing it. While you wait for the chance to fly with them or spot them on your travels, here are top 10 female pilots on Instagram to follow now.

List of 10 beautiful female pilots on Instagram

10. Mindy Lindheim @schmiiindy

9. Helen van Dam @pilotvandam

8. Eva Claire @FlywithEva

7. Jodi Rueger @quotafiller

6. Shannon Pereira @pilotshanelly

5. Maria Fagerstrӧm @mariathepilot

4. Malin Rydqvist @flymalin

3. Tamina Moradi @pilotmoradi

2. Christin Sanders @your_pilot_girl

1. Maria Pettersson @pilotmaria

Detailed information on 10 beautiful female pilots on Instagram

10. Mindy Lindheim @schmiiindy

Instagram: @schmiiindy

A pre-med student enrolling in her third year of college, Mindy Lindheim met with a neighbor who was a Delta pilot and changed her future endeavors forever. Within a month, she enrolled at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University. She earned her degree in Aeronautical Science while working as a mechanic's assistant. Today, she is the Regional Sales Director for Textron Aviation. She flies all over the country for Textron Aviation and loves the different aspects of her role.

She came to selling aircraft by chance. “I didn’t know a flying sales job existed, so when I found out that this was a career I had to go after it. The challenge of a sales job plus the flying aspect of conducting demo flights, moving airplanes, exhibiting them at shows. kind of creates the perfect storm for me.”

“My go-to favorite airplane for almost any type of day or flight is the G36 Bonanza,” she said.

9. Helen van Dam @pilotvandam

Instagram: @pilotvandam

Helen van Dam flies the Boeing 737 as a first officer with Norwegian. The Dutch pilot joined Instagram when she moved away from home “so that my friends and family could see what I was up to,” she said.

Van Dam loves finding northern Norway destinations on her routes, she said, but likes flying to German destinations because of the quick flying time. She has around 1,500 hours now in the 737.

“The first time I ever saw the cockpit with all its lights and switches I was in awe and I knew from that moment I wanted to find out more about becoming a pilot.

In my PPL training I was the only woman, but then during my ATPL another female joined so there was two of us, which was nice. When I went on to do my MCC course, there were two other women with me and in my final part of training which was Type Rating I was the only woman again.

Instagram: @pilotvandam

Don’t assume the aviation industry is a male dominated world, you can do it if you want to!”, Helen said.

Besides flying, Helen also enjoys swimming, biking, hiking, dancing and snowboarding, so her Instagram feed is always filled with plenty of action and her 176k followers get a taste of all sorts of adventure. Follow Helen for a well-curated blend of aviation, foodie, travel, sports and lifestyle inspiration that will make you want to jump into the pilot life yourself.

8. Eva Claire @FlywithEva

Instagram: @flywitheva

Dutch airline pilot Eva Claire Marseille wears many hats. By profession, she is a pilot. By interest, she is an influencer armed with a love for writing, hoping that her social media presence could help inspire other girls to chase after their dreams as she did.

Initially, a literature and journalism undergrad, the turning point for Eva came when she visited a flight school. The rest, as they say, was history. Eva has been a pilot for close to five years now. She has since relocated and is now flying the Boeing 747 jumbo jet for her new Hong Kong-based airline.

“I’ve always dreamed of living in other countries, to see the world and meet different people. Since young, I was always hungry for other people’s stories and I excelled in writing, so I always thought that journalism was my destined path.

Deep down, I think there was always a fascination with the pilot profession, but I just pushed it away because I didn’t think it was attainable – I didn’t do so well in Maths and Chemistry. I was more of a Literature girl.

It was my mum who encouraged me to visit a flight school in the Netherlands, to see if it could be something for me. When I finally visited, I completely fell in love with the idea of flying aeroplanes for a living. Imagine the big surprise when I found out that I actually met all the requirements to apply, just because I did Physics and Maths in high school! So never ever underestimate yourself, because anything can be possible.” Eva said.

Eva’s digital focus, both on social media and her own website, is on sharing a realistic job preview of life as a pilot, sharing her stories and experiences, and adding to the visibility of female pilots.

7. Jodi Rueger @quotafiller

Instagram: @quotafiller

Jodi Rueger, a Canadian pilot, says that she uses her “flying habit” to afford her flying habit. She may fly passenger jets for Swoop – a budget Canadian airline, but that is her day job. Her true passion is for aerobatic competitions. Jodi loves competing in International Council of Air Shows (ICAS) events and teaching aerobatic flying to other pilots.

Follow Jodi to see how her straight and level flights free her up to spend time perfecting complex aerial maneuvers for air shows. Jodi also maintains a YouTube channel where she shares more detail of the work that goes into preparing for a show. There she will talk you through some of the moves and give you a behind the scenes look at what it takes to become an aerobatic pilot.

6. Shannon Pereira @pilotshanelly

Meet @pilotshanelly. Image via pilotshanelly.

Shannon Pereira flies the E190 for JetBlue, having racked up more than 8,000 flying hours. Originally from Pittsburgh, she comes from a good aviation pedigree. Her father was a captain with US Air. However, Pereira got in the skies on her own accord. Her feed features her travels throughout the Caribbean, plenty of aviation, dancing (!) and lots of pups, too. “I just tell my story and hope people enjoy it. I could have never imagined the circle of friends I would gain from social media. It’s been incredible,” said the Boston-based pilot.

Jet Blue pilot, Shannon Pereira, shares how she combined her on-the-go lifestyle with her passion for animals and began dedicating her time to rescuing and transporting dogs out of high-kill shelters.

Instagram @pilotshanelly.

“I never realized my passion for animals until I had my own dog. Growing up with a family dog that is shared by four people, you don’t really get the same bond as you do when you are the sole provider for the dog. Once I realized the connection I had with my little guy I knew I wanted to help all of his less fortunate friends in the world that didn’t have the life he did.

Being an airline pilot I knew I wasn’t going to be able to foster or run my own rescue right away as I hoped so I started researching local rescues and other avenues to help the dogs in need. I found out there was a big need for volunteers to get the dogs from the shelters to the proper rescue.

Without coordinated transportation and short term fostering along the way some of these dogs would be euthanized before having the opportunity to make it to their rescue. That’s when I knew this was my perfect fit for helping. I’m on the road anyways, I might as well take a furry friend with me!

The first company I came across was Pilot-N-Paws. They consist of volunteers who either fly their own planes, drive their own car, or volunteer to be a flight companion for a pet traveling commercially. Since I don’t own my own plane I started volunteering for short transportation drives in my own car making it a fun road trip for myself and my furry friend.”, she said in an interview.

5. Maria Fagerstrӧm @mariathepilot

Instagram: @mariathepilot

Maria Fagerstrӧm is a very well-known female 737 pilot from Sweden who has racked up over 500k followers on Instagram. Of her reasons for being on Instagram, she says, “I’m here to give you a bit of insight into the aviation world with a purpose to inspire & empower others.”

To would-be pilots who are on the fence about whether they should make the jump into an aviation career, Maria says, “I’m not telling you it’s going to be easy. I’m telling you it’s going to be worth it.

Here’s the truth. Flight training is REALLY intense. You will most probably have to say goodbye to your social life for a year or two, but I can assure you... it’s totally WORTH IT the day you get your wings.”

“Flying a fighter jet together or skydiving or skiing on a glacier, it gives me so much joy and excitement. When I go travel, I like to find some adrenaline-pumping activity,” said Maria Fagerström.

“When I go back home and back to work flying, that’s my calm space. It’s my zen. That’s where I feel the most at home and regain all my energy for my next adventure,” she said.

4. Malin Rydqvist @flymalin

Instagram: @ flymalin

If Instagram is any indication, Swedish women aren’t held back by the gender stereotypes. Malin Rydqvist is another Swedish female pilot and like Maria Fagerstrӧm, Malin is currently based out of Spain. Of herself and other female Swedish pilots, Malin says, “We are all very fortunate growing up in a country where you are never limited by gender and with a belief that whatever a man can do a woman can do.”

Multi-talented Malin, 29, who is Swedish but based in Croatia, swaps her hat and epaulettes for crop tops and leggings as soon as she touches down - and the snaps she posts on Instagram have won her more than 45,000 online admirers.

Follow Malin as she documents her exotic life including on-duty and off-duty travels to all sorts of worldwide destinations.

3. Tamina Moradi @pilotmoradi

Instagram: @pilotmoradi

Tamina Moradi flies CRJ900s mainly in Europe. Tamina uses her Instagram account to share the realities of the path to the cockpit with her 9,000+ followers. While her life now looks pretty amazing, Tamina tells her followers, “Nobody wants to show you the hours and hours of becoming. Everybody would rather show the highlight of what they have become.

One can’t imagine how many hours, weeks and years of hard work and practice it takes to achieve a lifetime goal. But to achieve a goal you have set for your self you need: - Clearly defined stretch goal - Full concentration and effort - Immediate and informative feedback - Repetition with reflection and refinement.”

Instagram: @pilotmoradi

She says that her favorite thing about being a pilot is, “Flying the machine. It is not the overlays, it is not the destination nor is it anything else that fascinates me as much as flying the plane.

Challenging? Yes, it is. It is not all just smooth air and kiss-landings. It is hard, weather challenges you most, aircraft weight changes your handling techniques, traffic flow etc etc

If you go into the industry- you can’t allow your self to be lazy. You have to put your heart in it.”

2. Christin Sanders @your_pilot_girl

Instagram: @your_pilot_girl

Christin may have only been on Instagram for just over a year, but she’s already built up quite a following This Oregon-based adventure pilot decided to take up flying in October of 2018 saying, “I get asked all the time why I decided to get my pilot’s license. I’m just a regular person with a regular life. No one in my family has ever been a pilot. I’ve seriously been so blessed with an amazing, supportive husband of 15 years and our two beautiful daughters. I have all that I need.

I’ve always wanted to learn to fly. Not just any flying though! I wanted to fly to those beautiful, untouched places and explore the most spectacular areas and views accessible only by airplane. I wanted that back country flying life!!”

1. Maria Pettersson @pilotmaria

Instagram: @pilotmaria

Meet Swedish airline pilot Maria Pettersson, who will make you want to book your next trip on Ryanair.

She’s been at it for seven years now, and she told the Daily Mail last year that “My story is about strong females in a male dominated environment,” she went on. “Proving that we are just as good as them. Believing in ourselves and keeping a positive attitude towards life.”

Maria started sharing her experiences on Instagram in 2015 and has since expanded to her own personal website/blog and YouTube channel as well. She answers questions, shares experiences, and showcases what her adventure-filled life is like. With over 39K followers, it’s clear that she is inspiring women everywhere. In 2018, Maria even delivered a TEDx talk in Italy entitled My Point of View from 38,000 feet.