By Rebecca Drew
THIS STUNNING blonde pilot has propelled herself to Instagram fame after sharing pictures of her globetrotting lifestyle with her 78.6K followers.
Envy-inducing images show First Officer, Lindy Kats (24), also known as Pilot Lindy, from Amsterdam, The Netherlands, swimming underwater in a bikini, sitting in the cockpit ready for take-off and perched on her plane’s engine.
Other breath-taking photographs show Lindy, who has been an airline pilot for three-years, taking in the ancient ruins of Agrigento, Italy, stepping out of a car in Dubai and watching a plane take off overhead.
“I always loved flying as a passenger but I thought it would be very difficult and expensive to become a pilot,” said Lindy.
“After doing research and talking with pilots I learned it was not impossible after all. It requires hard work, much studying and a lot of dedication, but it’s definitely worth it.
“I started Instagram to share my updates with friends and family as I lived far away from them. I never expected my account to grow this big and I still can’t believe there are so many people interested in my life.
“It’s amazing if I can inspire people with what I do, but I never post anything to show off.
“Besides that, I have always loved photography and Instagram is a great platform for that. I try to take high quality pictures: colourful and bright.”
Lindy flies a Boeing 717 and has visited 23 countries so far, keeping a record of her travels with a scratch map. She says she’s never encountered any problems due to her gender in such a male dominated industry.
“Discovering the world, either on the job or in my free time is the best. Getting to see the world from the sky, feeling the power of the engines in your hands at take-off, getting to fly a huge aircraft through sometimes challenging weather and touching down smoothly gives you an amazing sensation,” she added.
“It’s simply indescribable how it feels to push the throttle forward on take-off and feel the power of the engines in my own hands. I love being up in the air, just staring down at the world and enjoying the view.
“I don’t think my gender has ever been an issue in the job. An occasional joke perhaps, but I’m not that easily offended and like to share a laugh with colleagues when the circumstances permit.
“Most passengers like to see a female pilot, only some old-fashioned ones like to have a closer look into the cockpit to check if there is at least one male pilot around. Anyone can have their opinion and for me that’s alright.”
For more information see www.instagram.com/pilot_lindy
