AvTalk Episode 351: Our favorite conversations from 2025

AVT 351 Transcript
EPISODE 351
[EPISODE]
[0:00:07] IP: Hello. and welcome to episode 351 of AvTalk, our retrospective episode as we get
ready to come back fresh next week. We begin 2026 by looking back at some of our favorite
conversations from 2025. In 2025. we focused a lot on the news and what it meant for the
aviation industry, but we also had a chance to speak with some very interesting people. We first
revisit our conversation with Eliska Hill, Senior Vice President for Cargo at Air Partner. We
chatted about her career path, how the cargo market has evolved post-COVID, and some of the
more interesting shipments she's had to deal with.
[CONVERSATION WITH ELISKA HILL]
[0:00:53] IP: Welcome back. We, as promised, are here with Eliska Hill, who is the Senior Vice
President of Cargo for UK and the rest of the world. I love that title. At Air Partner, which is a
Wheels Up Company, here to talk all things air cargo that we might not have covered before.
Eliska, thank you so much for joining us.
[0:01:14] EH: Well, thank you very much, Ian, for having me here. It's a great pleasure.
[0:01:18] IP: Tell us about your role specifically in the industry, because you are not a giant
aircraft with a logo splashed on the side, but you're moving things around the UK and the rest of
the world quite handedly. Tell me about how you guys operate.
[0:01:33] EH: Well, certainly, the reason of the title is simply, I look after every region apart from
the United States. I have a counterpart based in the US. That explains why the title states that,
not just that it's the UK is the center of the world, which I get reminded that we're not. Certainly,
not anymore. Yes, Air Partner, obviously, is a well-established for over 60 years as an air charter
broker and quite a well-known name in the industry. But covering everything from private jet
charters to group passenger charters, a lot of operational management, leasing, aircraft leasing
and cargo. Cargo's been an important part of the business for well over 30 years now. But
always operating in across all the different verticals that we look at, mainly focused on the
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charter world and growing with locations across the globe.
It's been a standard charter business for many, many years. What we've seen, I joined the
company almost a year ago, back in October, and quickly identified that there was some huge
opportunities for us here. What had happened as the pandemic was slowing down, we were
coming out and obviously, Air Partner was significantly involved during the pandemic with a
number of cargo charters. However, as the business has changed and evolved throughout that
time, they identified that this is the team in the UK predominantly here has been driving this
change of direction.
Identified as the aircraft, the passenger flights were coming back on board. A lot of carriers were
looking to keep aircraft running. They didn't have new orders, but they needed to grow and fulfill
and expand their routings to get the passenger numbers back up. They were utilizing older
aircraft, aircraft that had been bought out of retirement. Finding some struggles with the supply
trains, getting back to, perhaps, previous levels before the pandemic, and became an
opportunity here, where there's some of their partners, which has generally been the freight
forwarders, the large freight forwarders that will have an aerospace team to support them,
whether it's any parts moving around, which could be for maintenance, or any urgent
requirements, were perhaps, diverted away, or not focused, or struggling to offer them some of
the services that they needed.
I think it was an opportunity here to step in and perhaps, capture some of this market and head
in in a new direction. Pivoting away a little bit on the reliance on charter broking across all the
different verticals, as I mentioned, and move into something that's a little bit more niche, a little
bit more focused. That's really time-critical service solutions, and moving into the freight
forwarding arena, but bringing that charter broking mindset with it. That's really thinking about
the solution that could be right for the customer, understanding the business, their requirements,
what really are their needs, what's the time frame the piece is needed in? Is it for regular
maintenance? Is it returning, or moving a borrowed piece that's needed?
Really creating a bespoke solution for that customer and making it really a partnership. That's
one of the things that's become really important and certainly has been for me in the business is
that working as a partner with our customers, rather than with just a service provider. Really, it's
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been creating this portfolio of time-critical solutions, covering everything from an onboard
courier solution, a next flight out NFO, moving on scheduled services, a direct drive, moving it
by road, not necessarily by air. Up to a part or a full charter.
Of course, it's not just one of these modes, it could be a combination of two, or even three
different types of modes. This business has just grown significantly, certainly in the last couple
of years. I've watched and I see there's a huge opportunity to take it further.
[0:05:41] IP: Why do you think it's grown so much in the past few years? I mean, all of these
different pieces aren't necessarily new, but is it, you're putting them all together that is drawing
in demand? Or is there something else driving this?
[0:05:53] EH: It's about the level of service that's given. Again, we're working in a very niche
area. We're working mainly with global international passenger carriers that have large fleets
operating wide networks and have to be operating on tight schedules, turnarounds, etc., and
maintenance times. As I said before, a lot of the customers that we're dealing with, they're
unhappy with their current solutions and current services. They feel as if they're just another
number. There's no priority. They don't feel anybody understands what exactly is the need. Also,
somebody's just simply booking it on another flight. As a freight forwarder, they'll just book it
next flight out, without understanding that it may not need NFO. It could move with an onboard
courier and save a lot of money, or they'll have to go to their charter desk and get a charter
option, which could take time and obviously, cost a lot of money, and may not again, not be
needed.
They're not really getting that, and I'm talking about bringing that charter-broken mindset where
we find solutions. It's having that solution-based mindset overall, which has always been a
critical part of the charter broker. Finding the fastest, the most cost-effective way to move
something. Bringing that mindset into play here, where perhaps, somebody's working as part of
a freight-forwarding team that's just booking boxes and boxes on a day-to-day basis, and
doesn't treat this, perhaps, as a really important shipment, or really understand about the piece
they're moving, or what the customers' needs actually are. It's becoming that bespoke partner,
really, in the relationship.
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Really, we'd like to call it providing a white glove service to our customers, which is something
that's – when you're talking about engine parts and oil and landing gear is not really what you
would think about, but it's possible and it can be done. With what the UK team has done, they've
been incredibly successful at this.
[0:07:45] IP: You've mentioned aerospace components a few times. Is that your main customer
base? Are you really just making sure that the aerospace industry can continue to function?
[0:07:53] EH: I think it's been the area that's grown the most, and that's particularly in the UK,
because of building that relationship with the carriers, and then they're moving every single day.
They've always got aircraft in maintenance. I'm talking about the larger carriers here. A lot of it is
general maintenance. They could have borrowed a part for somebody, or they need a part
moving to somebody else, or it could be an aircraft that's having some technical issues down
route.
The aerospace has become the primary, and I think that's more for the UK, because that's
where the greatest opportunity is. I think, again, going back to a saying, post the pandemic, so
many carriers were scrambling to get the passenger aircraft back in the air. As I understand
now, that the belly hold capacity is actually now back to where we were pre-pandemic, which is
pretty amazing achievement. In the last couple of years, bear in mind what the airlines have had
to deal with, so we can understand and the pressure is on to capture the custom market.
People are traveling again, not necessarily just for business, although we can see that now,
certainly, with a number of cargo conferences that we have that are coming up this year. People
are traveling again, and people want to visit family, so the demand is there.
Aerospace has been the predominant area that we've grown in. We've also done a little bit of
work in the maritime industry, but that probably need, again, a little more of a dedicated team,
because it's really about going into more detail about the actual parts. We're not just talking
engines here. We're talking an inlet cowl, we're talking landing gear. It could be quite different
pieces of equipment, key equipment that we're having to move, and having an understanding of
how that's got to be handled, and what aircraft can we use, utilize that to move it.
There's a little bit of automotive, a team in Germany, obviously, traditionally, always been very
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strong in the automotive world, and they continue to focus on that arena. Obviously, that's
struggling at the moment. But the aerospace side of it is just growing. It really is, and the events
that team have been to is just phenomenal. The opportunity is huge.
[0:10:00] IP: Say, I'm an airline, and I've had a 777 go tech, and I need a new engine, so I can
get that airplane back in the air. Do I just pick up the phone and say, “Hi. My plane's broken.
Can you bring me my new engine?” How does that process work?
[0:10:17] EH: Yes. This will be handled by the technical department. If there's a problem with an
aircraft and it's down route, not at any home base, where they may have a maintenance section,
but their technical team, and every airline has an AOG desk, so that will probably be managed
by them, which is 24-7. They will come directly through to our 24-7 desk, where we run multiple
shifts, and make contact with the team member there. They'll need to specify, obviously, the
details, the dimensions, the type of engine, how it's being moved, and what the requirements
are. What's the timeframe? Most importantly, if it is AOG, you need to move as soon as
possible.
Does it need a charter? Whereabouts, obviously, if need to be moved too, and how's it going to
get there. Because obviously, if you're moving it by road at any point to an airport, you need an
air ride suspension vehicle that can carry the engine without damaging this. These are
obviously, worth millions of dollars. It's finding the right solution for getting as much information
as possible. Then, of course, if you're bringing an engine down, you're more likely going to have
to take an engine back, which is not going to be so urgently need to be moved, so that can
probably be moved on a scheduled service, taking a few more days to come back.
Then it's, again, covering all the documentation, the customs paperwork, making sure
somebody's there with the correct vehicle to carry that engine out to the aircraft where it may be
located. It's a number of different factors involved. But it really is that simple. It's the technical
people talking to our teams who are used to handling this equipment and understanding some
of the challenges.
[0:11:57] IP: It sounds like your business, and the aviation industry in general, because we've
talked about AOG aircraft and you mentioned borrowing parts, because we see all the time that
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engine cowling, that doesn't match, that's clearly from another airline that you borrowed
because you needed it. It sounds like, in your business, relationships are extremely important. I
mean, because knowing who to contact in certain locations for an air ride suspension vehicle, or
somebody who has the right crane to lift something. How does that all come about? I mean, is
that just over years and years and years? Or is that something where you're relying on other
companies as well to build that network?
[0:12:37] EH: Exactly. Relationship is critical. All the different vendors that we use are a really
important part of our business. They are the core. Obviously, a lot of those relationships been
built up through many, many years, because as charter brokers, a lot of these are people,
trucking companies, handling agents. These are people that, customs agents that the team
have used for many, many years. There are very strong relationships. They've also been vetted.
That's something that's really important to us is the level of service that we provide. That's
clearly reflective of all of our vendors to our customers, are effective of our level of service.
It's important that the vendors we use are trustworthy, are known, are experienced, and are
vetted clearly. If there are any issues, then they are dealt with very, very quickly. We've had it
before where, I think we had a new customer come onboard. There were going to be
somewhere like eight different vendors used on the processes that they require just for general
maintenance movements. A visit will be made all to each of those eight vendors to ensure that
they have all the procedures correctly and they're following all of those procedures. If anything
happens, if anything goes wrong, then immediately, somebody will be there to make sure this
can be rectified, because this is really, really important to us. All of those vendors, as I said,
again, are critical to us to keep up those service levels to our customers.
[0:14:03] IP: We've talked about aircraft on the ground. We've talked about parts and things like
that. Now, I'm curious about some of the more interesting, or unusual things that you've been
involved in, getting things from A to B, to maybe C.
[0:14:17] JR: Unusual things? Well, we had one that came in and it's not just aerospace. This is
where it's really interesting to talk about how we're developing outside of that. There was a
recent example a few months ago, a Formula One race car was at a very important race in
Europe. On the practice sessions, unfortunately, had a small little accident and ripped off the
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rear paneling at the bottom of the car. Obviously, quite vital. Bear in mind, the race is the next
day. An urgent call went out to our UK team to move this. While some people would say, “Fine,
it's Europe. It's just, throw a charter at it, and they can afford to pay.” That's not how we would
think. It's really about, how can we get that part to the customer as quickly as possible?
Sometimes almost quicker.
If you're having to wait for a charter to get an aircraft operator to get permits, to
get availability, etc., etc., that can take time. We may arrange the direct drive. A truck picked up
the part from the home base in the UK and drove it over to Belgium. Then we put it on a charter
flight straight down to the nearest airport and then it was delivered to the racetrack. That was so
fast, so quick. They literally had it there within a few hours. The customer was incredibly happy.
Obviously, the panel was installed and the car went on. I can't say if they won or not, but they
were very, very happy.
[0:15:43] IP: But they were able to race.
[0:15:45] EH: They were able to race. You can imagine, if a Formula One car can't race, that's a
huge issue and can cause that team a fortune. Outside of other areas, outside of the aircraft
parts, the onboard courier side, and this is where we're looking to really expand and develop,
particularly in the US, with our partner, Wheels Up, is how can we connect in with some of the
Wheels Up customers and work more closely together with some of their needs and
requirements they may have?
You've often got cases where people have left baggage behind, they left their passport behind,
urgent medication that needs to be picked up and taken to somebody. We've had a case where
somebody had a handmade suit that was being made by a tailor in New York, had to be sent to
Switzerland for an urgent requirement. It was actually for a funeral of somebody quite
significant. Again, an onboard courier was able to deliver that very, very quickly and efficiently
directly to that customer. They know that the item would be in someone's care all the way
through. It's about finding that, again, that best solution that's often going to be the quickest, but
also, not just going for the most expensive option. It really is because again, it's a longer-term
view. We want to work with our customers for a long term. And they've got to trust us. If we're
moving a million-dollar engines around, they need to know that they trust the people that are
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managing these operations to do this properly.
[0:17:15] IP: Looking to the future a bit, as far as you want to look, how do you see the industry
evolving, or at least your particular bit of the industry? What's on the near horizon and what's
out a little bit more long term?
[0:17:28] EH: Well, that's where it's really exciting, actually. That's where, as I said, I've only
talked a lot about the UK today. But the idea for me and the strategy that I'm working on is the
opportunity here is huge. We're already now expanding and recruiting to have an office. We
already, Air Partner has a presence in the Middle East based in Dubai. I myself was based out
in Dubai for 18 years, so I know the region and the area very well. It's a critical nerve center
covering the Middle East, covering Africa.
What we're setting up now is what we're looking to do is we have a control tower. We call it
control tower in the UK, which runs 24/7 with the team there, with a huge support. We'll look to
build that similar model in Dubai, in the Middle East to cover the regional aspect. Again, we
already have a team that we're building in the US, which is based down in the Wheels Up MOC
in Atlanta. We're going to build up that team further as well to cover the Americas. Then, of
course, we're looking into the far east to have a control tower based here. Effectively, you'll
have four control towers, all 24/7. As we call the concept, we follow the sun. Customers will
know, they'll have that support whatever's happening anytime of day, and in a location close to
them, either where they're based, or where the incident, or issue has occurred. They'll have that
global support. Through those four control towers, you'll be able to effectively connect with the
world and connect the world together.
[0:19:00] IP: We've been speaking with Eliska Hill, who's the Senior Vice President of Cargo for
the UK and the rest of the world, which means just not the US, at Air Partner. It has been
wonderful to talk to you and get some insight into how things are moving around the world a bit
unseen. Thank you so much for taking the time.
[0:19:17] EH: No, thank you very much for having me. It was fantastic.
[END OF CONVERSATION WITH ELISKA HILL]
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[0:19:25] IP: Next, we're looking back on our interview with Katherine Moloney, pilot and
Founder of Elevate(her) Aviation, an organization dedicated to raising the percentage of women
in aviation careers around the world. Elevate(her)'s research has led to some obvious
immediate changes that would be beneficial to the industry overall, and others that offer a more
sustainable path to growing the number of women joining and staying in aviation.
[CONVERSATION WITH KATHERINE MOLONEY]
[0:19:57] IP: Welcome back. We are now joined by Katherine Moloney, who is the founder of
Elevate(her) Aviation. She is also a private pilot of both helicopters and fixed-wing aircraft. So,
all around. Katherine, welcome so much to AvTalk. Thank you for being here.
[0:20:12] KM: Thank you so much for having me. I'm so excited to be here.
[0:20:15] IP: So, you as I like to call them, you fly the devil's bird, as well as fixed-wing. Which
one did you get started on and how did you become interested in aviation and then become a
pilot?
[0:20:27] KM: Yeah, absolutely. I actually did it, probably as most people think, the wrong way
round. I actually started with helicopters and then went to fixed-wing a little bit later on. But I
actually had no intention of being in aviation, and certainly being a pilot was not on my radar
until I was about 18. When I was at school, I probably would have been voted least likely to be a
pilot, I think, out of everyone. Certainly, I hadn't thought of aviation really as a career path for
me, which actually is quite funny now looking back. Because when I was at school, we actually
did quite extensive aptitude testing. And my aptitude test actually came back and suggested I
should apply to the RAF as a pilot.
And I took that piece of paper and I literally threw it in a bin. I just thought, that's not me. I could
never be that person. I could never do that. It was quite an interesting kind of reflection for
me looking back now to see that maybe I did have the aptitude from the start, but just didn't
think it could be for me.
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Anyway, I left school. I went straight to work. I always wanted to go straight to work. I didn't
go to uni. I started working in a warehouse of a flight equipment company, picking and
packing parcels, just as a bit of Christmas cover, to be honest. This is really where my
interest in aviation was completely piqued, because I was handling all of these different items
every day, learning about aviation, learning about the industry. And I became really curious
about flying. I was working on the airport, Shoreham Airport in the UK. I went to my dad and I
said, "You know, I'm kind of curious about this. I would like to give it a go." And he said, "Well,
just get a trial lesson. See if you like it. There's no pressure. Just give it a try." That's exactly
what I did.
One of the flight schools next door was a helicopter flight school. I literally walked next door and
said, "Hey, can have a trial lesson?" And they took me up. From that first moment that I touched
the controls, I was absolutely hooked. I loved it. I thought, "Why have I never thought about this
before?" It just was so exciting. It felt like freedom. It felt like everything I'd kind of missed, to be
honest. Yeah, that's really where aviation, where I got the bug, let's say.
I was 18 then. Immediately signed up to do my PPL, my private pilot's license, and got that
at 19. I continued to work at the same company in lots of different roles, from shows,
marketing, sales, trade sales, and ended up being marketing director there as well, and learned
so much about the industry during that time. Also, became a department for transport
aviation ambassador as well during that time.
Yeah, then I laterally went on to do fixed-wing. My thinking behind this was really, I love the
industry. General aviation is my absolute passion. I really wanted to explore as much as I
possibly could. And I could see all of the amazing things you can do with fixed-wing aircraft,
from gliding, to microlights, to tail draggers, to aerobatics. I really wanted to give it a go. So,
I did the same thing. Walked to a flight school, got a trial lesson. And yeah, was absolutely
hooked again.
[0:23:26] IP: You've been flying for a few years, and then you say to yourself, "I want other
people to experience this, and especially young women to get involved in aviation." So, you
founded Elevate(her) Aviation. Tell me about the process of getting that started. Where
did the idea for that come from?
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[0:23:48] KM: Yeah, absolutely. During the whole time of my flight training, during both
licenses, I never met any other women in aviation. This is not to detract from the incredible
male instructors and mentors that I've had throughout my whole career, because they've been
absolutely phenomenal. My dad's probably my biggest mentor and has been my biggest
support throughout my whole career. But I did want to connect with other like-minded women. I
did feel like I was maybe missing out on that.
After I got my fixed-wing PPL, it literally was like 2 months after, I decided to host an event.
what I did was hired out a room, again, at Shoreham Airport, or Brighton City Airport, as it's now
known. Got a plate of sandwiches and put out an open invitation to as many women in the
industry as I could find in all different careers and said, "Look, just come have a laugh, have
some fun, and we can all talk."
I was very nervous, to be honest with you. I didn't know who would turn up, or if anyone would.
But I was absolutely delighted that day when we had 40 women attend. The event was just
wonderful. The atmosphere was electric. All of us were sharing, talking about different parts of
the industry, sharing our stories. I really came away from that event feeling so inspired by
the women that I'd met and thought, "Hey, this could be a real thing here."
Another thing I'd noticed in the industry was that it's very hard to find good information. There's
a lot of great information out there. There's a lot of amazing cadet schemes. There's a lot of
amazing scholarships, but that you really do have to dig through the internet to find them a lot of
the time. I also thought, it'd be great to have a bit of a one-stop shop for lots of aviation
knowledge and just where to find things basically.
I went away, took six months, and built the Elevate(her) platform, which I then launched on
my Instagram. Yeah, that's really how the journey began, to be honest. It really started
as a way of connecting people and just really providing some support and some useful links and
things like that. But it's grown to so much more now, I'm really proud to say.
[0:25:48] IP: How has the organization evolved since the beginning and getting the platform
launched?
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[0:25:52] KM: Oh, my goodness. It's evolved massively, to be honest. If you told me when I
launched it, this is what would happen, I wouldn't have believed you. I launched it on my
Instagram. Obviously, just me. Now, I work with 25 women, mostly volunteers, or
majority volunteers. We're now a global organization. We have thousands of members in
over 64 countries worldwide. We've hosted 37 events this year already in five different
countries. We work with incredible partners, like British Airways, Virgin Atlantic, NAT, Cirrus,
Tecnam, and that has been incredibly exciting journey.
We do a huge amount of educational outreach now and lots and lots of research. I think the
research has been the most interesting aspect for me, probably across the board, to be honest.
Where we're going with our research and how it's directing Elevate(her) as a platform is
incredibly exciting. Yeah. I mean, honestly, it's unrecognizable from what it launched as, and it's
all due to what an amazing team we have, but also to the women who are our members. The
success of Elevate(her) is purely a reflection of how many women and girls want to be in this
industry and want to stay in this industry as well.
[0:26:57] IP: Do you hear similar things from people that are approaching the organization that
you were kind of thinking when you were looking for ways to get into aviation?
[0:27:06] KM: Yes, we do. There's certainly a few common themes. Again, I am kind of
generalizing a little bit here. But particularly, we find that with young women, confidence is one
of the things that's brought up to us a lot. I think that's why having a community and a
support system is so incredibly important, because you need that group of people around you
who's going to lift you up and be there for you when you do have hard days. Aviation is the most
incredible industry to be involved in. But it can be really challenging. No matter what career path
you go for, whether it's flying, whether it's engineering, or ATC, it can be really hard. We're all
about building those communities all over the world and ensuring people have that support
system ready for them.
[0:27:49] IP: What advice do you have for people, anybody, but young women in particular,
looking to get into aviation? I have an interest. Maybe they've taken an aptitude test that says,
you would be a good pilot, or something like that, and they don't really know where to start.
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[0:28:04] KM: Yeah, I think that's a really great question. To be honest, I actually have
maybe two bits of advice. My first bit of advice would be, just give it a go. Just try it, because
there's nothing to be lost from trying something. If you try it and love it like I did, then fantastic. If
you try it and you think, "Hey, maybe that's not for me," or maybe it informs your decision about
maybe going down a different path in aviation. I think we always say about our research, all data
is good data. Go out there, try it, and have fun with it as well. I think it's really important to have
fun with your aviation journey.
The second piece of advice is one I think about quite a lot, and some people may think it's a
little bit funny to say. I do mean it in the most positive way possible, but no one cares. No
one cares apart from you. You may as well go out there and try the things that you want to
try and do the things that you want to do. Because, ultimately, you're the only one it really
matters to. You should go out there and, yeah, have fun with it, enjoy it, and just put yourself
out there to try new things.
[0:29:07] IP: Elevate(her) has been intimately involved with getting young women into aviation,
but what about other organizations? What about airlines, or flight schools, or other aviation
companies? Do you see them also being part of that outreach? You mentioned you have some
airline partners. But generally speaking, is there more that can be done that you're not seeing?
Or is there a model to follow that you are seeing?
[0:29:31] KM: Yeah, again a really good question. I think the conversation now is certainly
changing around women in aviation and the need for diversity in the industry as a whole. I think
now is the best it's ever been, to be honest. But look, let's look at the statistics. Globally, only
6% of pilots are women. This is still incredibly low. Yes, of course, there's more things we could
be doing. Through our research at Elevat(her), we've really separated this into two separate
issues.
One is getting girls into aviation, and that comes down to the outreach, the changing of
perceptions with social media. Love or hate social media, but it's very useful for that, and
those kind of aspects. Then secondly, and actually probably the biggest one, which I would
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say the industry as a whole really needs to work on is the retention. We've noticed that there is
a bit of a leaky pipe in the industry. Even though now we have more girls getting into aviation
than we ever have done historically, the number is not increasing. The percentage is not
increasing. I truly believe that this is through retention.
When we talk about retention, we talk about things like a really good maternity leave policy. We
talk about having uniform that's specifically for women and fits correctly, and facilities that are for
women. Even in the UK, we found through some of our research that out of a lot of aviation
organizations in the UK, around 16% still don't have women's toilets. For instance, I know it
sounds like a bit of a small thing, but that obviously is a huge barrier to women staying in the
industry. We found similar statistics with uniform. Over half of flight schools, we found don't
supply a women's uniform. The same with PPE, life jackets, helmets, gloves. Very rarely we
find ones that are specifically made for the kind of female physique and that actually fit properly.
All of these contributes to, A, the message of you don't belong here, which is the message we
want to change. Secondly, it stops women staying in the industry. This is really what we're
trying to get down to, because aviation as an industry does not compromise on safety at all. It's
one of the things that we pride ourselves on in an industry. We need to stop compromising
when it comes to women and women's safety coming into the industry, too.
[0:31:46] IP: Do you see that beginning to change at all, or is it still something that awareness is
key here?
[0:31:52] KM: I think awareness is still key here. I think we're at the beginning of this journey. I
mean, certainly, we're doing a lot of research, particularly into the equipment and facilities.
We've not seen any other kind of data surrounding this yet. I do think we're at the beginning
of the journey. But I do think the reception has been brilliant, certainly, from all the organizations
and other kind of key stakeholders in the industry. Everyone is now very up for seeing the
change and seeing where we can make a difference. Because I do believe that they're small
changes really that could make a huge difference to the whole industry.
[0:32:28] IP: That's fascinating to see that there's – it seems like some low-hanging fruit here
that would make a big impact.
© 2025 AvTalk 14
AVT 351 Transcript
[0:32:34] KM: Absolutely. Yes. Yeah. I totally agree with that. Yeah.
[0:32:38] IP: This has been a fascinating conversation. I want to thank you so much for building
this platform, which we'll have a link in the show notes to Elevate(her) Aviation, so that you can
take a look and get involved. If you run an aviation organization, you're thinking, "Oh, that would
be good to have. Maybe we can install a woman's toilet, and that would be good to have.” I'm a
little bit flabbergasted by that percentage that that just doesn't exist.
[0:33:03] KM: I am using that one as a bit of a showstopper of a statistic.
[0:33:07] IP: Wow.
[0:33:08] KM: But yes. No, there's plenty more. You're so right. It's low-hanging fruit. If there are
any other organizations out there that would like to see our research, our research is available
on our website as well. We're always more than happy to have the discussion and see where
we can work together.
[0:33:24] IP: Katherine Moloney, thank you so much for joining us. Katherine is the founder of
Elevate(her) Aviation and a private pilot of both helicopters and fixed-wing aircraft. Katherine,
absolute pleasure to have you. Thank you so much.
[0:33:36] KM: Thank you so much for having me. It's been lovely.
[END OF CONVERSATION WITH KATHERINE MOLONEY]
[0:33:43] IP: That's all for us on this episode. We'll be back next week with episode 352 of
AvTalk, our first episode of the new year. Happy New Year and happy tracking.
[END]
© 2025 AvTalk 15