Aviator Girl | RT Documentary

The film The Aviator Girl by RT Documentary tells of four Russian girls who devote their lives to the sky by becoming aerobatic and commercial aviation pilots.

One of the women, Maria, an Aeroflot Captain, only started flying when she was 31. However, she realised she had a yearning for the sky and earned her pilot licence, and soon knew it wasn't enough. So Maria entered university and the challenge of bigger planes. Currently, she flies the Boeing 737, and after four years of being a First Officer at Aeroflot, she was promoted to Pilot in Command.

Maria loves her job, but she says it requires dedication and stamina, and the profession will only surrender to you if you go all in. It is not just about the actual job running the plane in civil aviation. It's about responsibility and very busy, challenging and unpredictable schedules. Maria says sometimes she doesn't know when she'll be home. To rise to such heights, one has to be ready to sacrifice private or put on hold personal life, leisure and hopes for me-time.

According to Maria, Aeroflot currently employs about ten women pilots in command. The position of Captain used to be forbidden to women as it was seen as too dangerous. But once it opened up, more and more women decided in favour of this profession and are doing an outstanding job
What's the learning process like, how do girls handle accidents, and what does the life of a female aerobatics pro looks like — find out in our film.