Amelia Richardson and flight instrccutor Anthony Cooke of Cambridge Aerro Club
A second student has attained her Private Pilot’s Licence via the Attagirls Molly Rose Pilot Scholarship. 17-year-old Amelia Richardson from Buckinghamshire completed the PPL training in a mere 35-hours which included 10-hours solo. Amelia is determined to become a military pilot and a flight instructor. Fifty-five applications were received for the £15,000 scholarship from women aged between 17-24 throughout the UK.
The scholarship was created by Paul Olavesen-Stabb of Aetheris Films who created the Attagirls brand which also includes his published novel about the Air Transport Auxiliary (‘ATA’) during WWII; the upcoming feature film; and the Attagirls Club, an international membership club for female aviators.
The scholarship was funded by Marshall of Cambridge, with contributions from Graham, Gregory & Nigel Rose, the three sons of the Attagirls book heroine pilot Molly Rose; Philip Meeson, the founder of Jet2; and the British Women Pilots’ Association.
Amelia was selected from five finalists who attended interviews and a flight test in April and she received training at the Cambridge Aero Club over the summer months. Amelia has since become the Teen Ambassador for the Attagirls Club.
The 2023 scholarship winner, Georgia Pescod who also received the scholarship at 17-years-old is now enrolled in commercial flying school.
Amelia first solo flight
The application window for the third scholarship will open on 1st June 2025.
The scholarship was inspired by one of the aviatrix heroines of the Air Transport Auxiliary during WWII, Molly Rose. Molly is featured in the novel and film screenplay entitled ‘Attagirls’, based on the true story of her life as a pilot in ATA. Molly and her comrades remain today an absolute inspiration to all young women, with the story of their unimaginable bravery, determination and sacrifices, when they were so young themselves, still empowering women everywhere…’courage under pressure’. The production company Aetheris Films is seeking to co-produce Attagirls the feature film.
With aviation being a hugely male-dominated industry and career, where only 6% of pilots internationally are women; Aetheris wants to empower young women from all walks of life to be able to pursue a career in a male dominated industry.
Amelia Richardson grew up in Buckinghamshire and is a glider pilot, social media influencer with 117k social media followers, and an advocate of supporting young people and women in aviation. Amelia is a former Cdt. Sergeant in the Combined Cadet Force (RAF Wing) and intends to join the RAF, hoping to become a fighter pilot. Amelia went solo at 14 and achieved her Basic Instructor rating 3-months after her 16th birthday.
Said Amelia: “I am hugely grateful to Aetheris Films and the Board of Trustees of the Attagirls Molly Rose Pilot Scholarship, and to Marshall of Cambridge and Cambridge Aero Club for selecting me and for believing in me. It is a huge honour and one that I thought would be out of my reach for many years. It really is a fantastic leap towards achieving my career aspirations as a flight instructor, a taste of which I've had since becoming a basic gliding instructor just over a year ago. Thank you to everyone for supporting me”.
Paul Olavesen-Stabb, Attagirls brand creator and author of the novel said: “The scholarship is the only one of its kind in the UK and a great opportunity for a young woman to gain her PPL in a short period of time. The standard of applicants for this year’s scholarship was incredibly high and it was a very difficult task to choose between these talented young women to select a winner. Amelia is indeed a worthy recipient and will be a great ambassador for Attagirls and I look forward to following her progress. With the publication of the book ‘Attagirls’ and the planned feature film, we were determined that there should be a legacy. This view was shared by Molly Rose’s family business, Marshall of Cambridge.
Paul added: "We are extremely grateful that Marshall of Cambridge have financially supported both the first and second training scholarships in association with Cambridge Aero Club with contributions from Graham, Gregory & Nigel Rose, the three sons of Molly Rose, the book’s heroine pilot. We are also grateful to Philip Meeson, the founder of Jet2 and the British Women Pilots’ Association. The scholarship is synonymous with Molly’s story. She was not afraid to embrace opportunities that during that time were exclusive to men. She was an apprentice engineer at her father’s company and thereafter a pilot, and at a time when it was extremely rare for women to take on such roles. The message of the brand Attagirls is one of ‘courage under pressure’ - a message for young women to have the courage to embrace an opportunity despite its challenges”.
Christopher Walkinshaw DL, Director of External Relations and Communications at Marshall of Cambridge, said: “Many congratulations to Amelia on her achievement. She is clearly a passionate and talented young aviator who has already achieved a great deal, and we all wish her every possible success in her future career. We are proud to have supported Amelia’s flying training under the Attagirls Molly Rose Pilot Scholarship, and that she completed her flying at our Cambridge Aero Club.”
Anthony Cooke, Head of Training of the Cambridge Aero Club and recent recipient of the Outstanding Contribution to Civil Flying Instruction Award from The Honourable Company of Air Pilots, said: “Cambridge Aero Club is extremely proud to be helping Amelia to build her extraordinary future as a pilot, and it is wonderful that she is following in the footsteps of Molly Rose at Cambridge”.
Sharon Nicholson FRAeS, Chairwoman of the British Women Pilots' Association (BWPA) said: “I am confident that Amelia will do well with her PPL licence, as a former British Women Pilots’ Association (BWPA) award winner of the prestigious OP Jones Award in 2021 for her gliding, and a 2023 Scholarship winner to continue with aerobatic training. Amelia is very personable and full of enthusiasm for her sport, which is acknowledged by her social media following.
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