As the second ever female fast jet pilot with the Royal Air Force (RAF), Mandy Hickson is used to having a few barriers thrown in the way. From the time she was a teenager, she dreamed of joining the RAF, but it took courage and sheer determination to get there. Before Mandy got to the “Top Gun” stage of flying £35m fighter jets in hostile territory, she had to earn her wings. By all accounts this is a tough slog which requires you to be not just an adrenaline junkie, but also an aero-nautical mechanics enthusiast, a leader, a team player and an athlete.