International Women's Day with Hon Gp Capt Jo Salter, the first British female fast jet pilot

International Women's Day presents the opportunity to celebrate the achievements of women in the RAF and one such person is Honorary Group Captain Jo Salter MBE – Britain’s first ever female RAF fast jet pilot.

Jo was Britain's first female fast jet pilot, flying the Panavia Tornado ground attack aircraft with 617 Squadron. She joined the RAF at 18, initially becoming an engineering officer but deciding to train as a pilot when it was announced that women would be allowed to fly.  Jo earned her wings to fly in 1992, and went on to become a fast jet pilot on 617 Squadron, 'The Dambusters'. 

Since then, Jo has had a highly successful career outside the military and, today, leads PwC’s global Centre for Transformative Leadership. She also continues to use her raft of diverse experiences to motivate others as an author and public speaker. 

Describing how it felt to be the first female RAF fast jet pilot, Jo said: "It was exciting, dramatic and demanding – flying can be exhilarating but it can be tough too, so it’s a mixture of challenge versus adventure."

"Shortly after I finished my degree the government announced women would be able to fly in the RAF. I’ve always been the type of person to make the most of every opportunity, so I took this one with both hands and it was one of the best things I’ve ever done!"

Having, and gaining, certain skills has been crucial to Jo’s success: "Being a fast jet pilot comes with immense pressure and requires a great deal of resilience, so managing that stress was very important. It’s the ability to think ahead whilst also making decisions about the now.

"Also, leadership was a focus throughout my time in the RAF – leading self and others as well as building a successful team."

One thing that Jo is passionate about is inclusivity, and despite experiencing some discrimination in her career journey, Jo says she never saw it as a barrier. She said: "Because of my family background, gender was irrelevant. I was brought up with two brothers and a sister and when doing jobs in the house, we weren’t assigned male or female roles – we were all sweeping the drive or cooking and cleaning. It never crossed my mind that I couldn’t do something men do."

After 12 years of service, Jo left the RAF, but continued to spend 16 years in the RAF as a reservist, whether it was flying Air Cadets on Air Experience Flights (she’s flown over 1,000 cadets) or, now, as an Honorary Gp Capt on 601 Squadron.

With her experiences as a pilot, trainer and public speaker, Jo is a huge inspiration for women looking to start a career in the RAF. 

Jo said: "While working with the cadets I had many people come up to me and say they didn’t know women could fly, which really shows the importance of having different role models with various backgrounds in the field. It doesn’t matter what gender you are or what school you went to, it’s about hand eye coordination and skill."

Jo is proud to support the RAF Benevolent Fund saying: "The RAF Benevolent Fund is an amazing institution that I've been aware of since I joined the RAF at the age of 18. Whilst I haven't had to call upon it personally, I've read some moving stories of the impact it has had on so many alongside a knowledge that it's there if anyone in the extended forces family needs it. I'm proud to support such a charity."