Catherine Burton
FRAeS
GNS, UK͞In 1972, British Airways had a woman pilot, but they didn't know it and, at the time, neither did I.͟
This is how Cat Burton reconciles her 45 year career as an airline pilot with her transition in 2014, with the full support and help of her employer.
Cat was born in 1952 and progressed from Air Cadet to senior longhaul airline captain in the firm belief that transition would be a career breaker but sees her final years as her best ever. She was British Airways Flight Operations Diversity Champion and their most senior woman pilot.
Her career started in 1972 on Viscounts (4 engine regional turboprops). She has flown Boeing 737-200Adv, L1011, Boeing 747-100/200, Boeing 747-400 as a copilot before her command, in 1992 on Boeing 757/767. She returned via Boeing 747-200 to the Boeing 747- 400 and her final change of type was to the 777-200/300 in 2010. She retired in 2017 on her 65th Birthday.
But retirement isn't really something Cat is ready for. She's a trustee of several charities, a college governor, a flying instructor and actively engaging in public speaking in fields as varied as school career advice and mentoring and corporate HR and leadership team training and on to entertaining after dinner speaking. She's also returned to her old Air Cadet squadron as an instructor.
Her 45 year career furnished her with anecdotes and insights which she delivers in an engaging and candid manner. Q&A is often the catalyst for some of the more amusing tales in Cat's repertoire.
͞In 1972, British Airways had a woman pilot, but they didn't know it and, at the time, neither did I.͟
This is how Cat Burton reconciles her 45 year career as an airline pilot with her transition in 2014, with the full support and help of her employer.
Cat was born in 1952 and progressed from Air Cadet to senior longhaul airline captain in the firm belief that transition would be a career breaker but sees her final years as her best ever. She was British Airways Flight Operations Diversity Champion and their most senior woman pilot.
Her career started in 1972 on Viscounts (4 engine regional turboprops). She has flown Boeing 737-200Adv, L1011, Boeing 747-100/200, Boeing 747-400 as a copilot before her command, in 1992 on Boeing 757/767. She returned via Boeing 747-200 to the Boeing 747- 400 and her final change of type was to the 777-200/300 in 2010. She retired in 2017 on her 65th Birthday.
But retirement isn't really something Cat is ready for. She's a trustee of several charities, a college governor, a flying instructor and actively engaging in public speaking in fields as varied as school career advice and mentoring and corporate HR and leadership team training and on to entertaining after dinner speaking. She's also returned to her old Air Cadet squadron as an instructor.
Her 45 year career furnished her with anecdotes and insights which she delivers in an engaging and candid manner. Q&A is often the catalyst for some of the more amusing tales in Cat's repertoire.
