A growing group of female plane spotters is challenging long-standing stereotypes in aviation, creating a space for themselves in both the hobby and career.
On a blustery Saturday afternoon, a group of women gather on the bank of the River Thames, opposite London City Airport. They watch as a plane’s engine roars to life and takes off down the river, many of them taking photos or filming.
These women are not your typical plane spotters. Usually, you’d imagine plane spotters to be middle-aged or older men, typically “nerdy” or “geeky” guys.
These plane spotters, however, are young women, the majority of whom are strangers to each other. From their viewing point on the dockside, they watch Embraer 190s and turboprop regional airliners land and take off again.
Personally, I am also a plane spotter, but this was a new experience for me too, having never spotted in a group before. I was a little nervous to meet a group of people I didn’t know, but this feeling was immediately squashed. I felt welcomed straight away, greeted by the founder, Glo Amponsem.
“The group came about from me posting videos of myself plane spotting,” Glo told me. “A lot of the response I got was from women asking me to put on a girls-only event.” Glo had nine people join her for the first meetup at Heathrow Airport, but now has 300 women interested in the group.
“That response inspired me to put something together and create that sense of community for people,” she continued. “I just wanted to give women a safe space to plane spot and meet other people.”
Traditionally, plane spotting has been largely male-dominated, whether that’s intentional or unintentional, but in recent years, the hobby has become more popular due to social media, with apps like FlightRadar24 and SkyCards, and YouTube channels such as BigJetTV and Airliners Live posting hundreds of hours of aviation content every year.
As a result, Glo has created a first-of-its-kind group, as spaces exclusive to women within aviation are limited.
Because plane spotting has been largely seen as a male hobby, women who partake in it or want to partake in it can feel put off by going solo or joining a group of men. Women are increasingly embracing “male” hobbies, like gaming, DIY, or outdoor activities.
The idea of being the only woman amongst a group of men can be intimidating, and some have even experienced belittlement and harassment. They also may feel like they have to prove themselves in order to be part of the hobby.
“A lot of people in aviation are men so it’s nice to have a female group, people you can relate to and share your experiences with”
Rosie Wood
“I think sometimes there’s a perception with industries or hobbies that are male-dominated,” one plane spotter, Poppy, told me. “That as a woman, if you want to join that space, you have to be extremely knowledgeable to prove your interest.”
“It’s a bit like ‘Oh, you like this artist? Name five of their songs,'” another member, Ola, told me, before pausing briefly to watch an Embraer take off.
“I feel like if I went to a bunch of guys plane spotting, they’d be like ‘Which engine does the EN90 have?’ I don’t know, it’s just cool,” she continued.
Many of the women I spoke to have a career in aviation or were interested in pursuing one. Rosie Wood had her interest in aviation sparked by her great uncle, a chief engineer at Boeing.
“A lot of people in aviation are men,” she told me. “So it’s nice to have a female group, people you can relate to and share your experiences with.”
Another plane spotter and member of cabin crew for British Airways, Isabel, echoed similar sentiments: “When it comes to the more technical side of aviation, it’s definitely more male-dominated,” she told me. “So it’s really cool to have a women’s only space without anyone making you feel weird about being in that space.”
In fact, women make up less than 20% of the workforce in most aviation occupations. The most common aviation occupation for women is cabin crew, with 79% of flight attendants being female.
However, those who are pilots, engineers and air traffic controllers are few and far between. Women make up just 9% of pilots worldwide, although this number has been increasing, with easyJet’s campaign to address the gender pay gap increasing their proportion of female pilots to 7.5%.
Women face significant barriers in the aviation roles beyond cabin crew. These kinds of attitudes have discouraged many women from entering the industry due to historical gender bias.
In fact, a survey conducted in 2013 found that 51% of Brits are less likely to trust a female pilot, citing reasons such as women’s ‘lack of skills’ and their ‘ability to perform under pressure’.
Women in the profession have often endured unequal treatment from male colleagues as well as harassment, with 71% of women saying they’ve experienced sexual harassment in the workplace or an aviation setting.
Women also often come up against stereotypes in the aviation industry. A long-standing stereotype has been that men fly the plane while women serve the drinks. These stereotypes are even projected onto children, with toy aeroplanes and vehicles often being considered ‘for boys’.
Budget airline easyJet conducted an experiment where they asked seven-year-old children to act out various occupations. Results revealed that when it came to the role of pilots, both boys and girls used deep, masculine voices, confirming the projections of the stereotype.
When girls see themselves as underrepresented from an early age, it becomes harder to enter the industry; they find it challenging to imagine themselves in the role. Although there are many female aviators in history, there are very few mentorship programmes or professional development programmes for them.
“When women feel supported and have a community around them who will inspire, encourage, and lift them up – women feel empowered in their chosen careers and passions!”
Katherine Moloney
Furthermore, financial barriers contribute significantly to the low representation of women in aviation. Flight training and certifications are expensive, and with an existing gender pay gap, it can be difficult to fund.
Even when women become pilots, they can suffer financially compared to their male counterparts. At easyJet, women took home 53p for every pound that men earned, while at British Airways, the median gap was 37% in 2023.
Women-only spaces, like the Planespotting Club, are therefore very important, particularly in careers and hobbies that have historically been male-dominated.
Elevate(her) Aviation is an “organisation dedicated to raising the percentage of women in all aviation careers globally” and is part of a growing number of women-only spaces in aviation.
“It is incredibly important to have spaces and communities where women in aviation can feel supported and heard,” Katherine Moloney tells me; she launched Elevate(her) in 2023 to support and encourage women wanting to get into the industry.
“With the percentage of women in aviation still being very low, organisations that connect women locally and on a global scale, like Elevate(her) Aviation, are more important than ever.”
In fact, research has shown that women-only spaces offer significant benefits, creating a sense of safety and comfort.
“It’s nice to have that energy that comes with other women sharing a space and a hobby,” Poppy told me. “I don’t know any women interested in aviation, so this is the first time I can have a conversation with people about it.”
In single sex environments, women can experience reduced anxiety and feel more empowered to express themselves. They provide visibility as to what women are able to achieve in male-dominated fields, and something as simple as a plane spotting group can inspire careers.
“When women feel supported and have a community around them who will inspire, encourage, and lift them up – women feel empowered in their chosen careers and passions,” Katherine Moloney told me.
Women-only spaces are not about excluding men. They’re about creating a space for those who have been historically excluded from careers, hobbies, and other parts of society.
A 2022 study showed that girls in single-sex environments report stronger academic confidence, fewer behavioural distractions and more supportive peers.
For those in aviation, groups like the Planespotting Club or events run by Elevate(her) are places to develop confidence and build community in areas that are very much needed.
“I’d like to continue to grow the community and continue to create a safe space for women to try something new,” Glo told me. “I think right now we’re really in the age of trying to build communities and do things outside of the house.”
The Planespotting Club is changing a long-standing narrative. What was once a hobby approached with caution is now becoming a welcoming environment associated with community and safety; an all-female group disrupts the default and breaks down the stereotype of a typical plane spotter.
For many, plane spotting can be an entry point into the wider industry, becoming a point of inspiration for those who want to pursue it as a career. By seeing other women interested in aviation, they’ll be able to imagine themselves one day flying the same planes they watch.
Featured image by Emilia Birch.