Nicky Smith

Background

Smith was born in Colchester and studied aeronautical engineering at Emmanuel College, Cambridge, where she joined Cambridge University Air Squadron in 1986.

Education

Emmanuel College.

Career

She was the first female Royal Air Force helicopter pilot and in 2002 she became the first female Royal Air Force officer to take command of a flying squadron. Regraded from acting pilot officer to pilot officer on 15 July 1989, she passed out from the Royal Air Force College Cranwell in 1990 with the Sash of Merit as best female cadet. She was promoted flying officer on 15 January 1990 and in November 1990 she transferred from the Engineer Branch to the General Duties Branch as aircrew, becoming one of the first female trainee pilots in the Royal Air Force. She was promoted flight lieutenant on 15 January 1992.

She went to Royal Air Force Swinderby for elementary flying training, returned to Cranwell for basic flying training, and then went to Royal Air Force Shawbury, where she became the first woman in the Royal Air Force to qualify as a helicopter pilot in October 1992.

She became a search and rescue pilot flying Westland Sea Kings, initially with 22 Squadron at Royal Air Force Valley on Anglesey and then with 202 Squadron at Royal Air Force Lossiemouth in Scotland, flying more than 250 missions. She was promoted squadron leader in 1999 and, after several ground jobs at Cranwell, she trained on Westland Wessex helicopters with 72 Squadron at Royal Air Force Aldergrove in Northern Ireland before being posted to Royal Air Force Akrotiri in Cyprus to take command of 84 Squadron in 2002.

She retired from the Royal Air Force in September 2006, although keeping her ties with the service by joining the Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve (Training Branch) as a flying officer, and taught mathematics at Felsted School until September 2007, when she joined CHC Helicopter as business development manager and Soteria Search and Rescue as transition manager. In April 2011, she joined Essex and Hertfordshire Air Ambulance as a pilot.

Achievements

• Colchester UnitedFootball Conference winner 1991-1992 FA Trophy winner 1991-1992.