“It doesn’t feel like a job.” Having completed eight 737 charter flights, Charlotte Rogers is loving life on the flight deck, a job she has been dreaming of since the age of six.
8 August 2025
Charlotte Rogers can’t quite believe she’s flying passengers across Europe in a Boeing 737. Rewind just a couple of years, and she was alone in a Cessna 172, skimming over the dusty hills of southern Spain, navigating into tiny French airfields, and building hours in the pilot’s seat the old-school way.
“I hired a Cessna 172 from a little airport in Bordeaux called Saucats,” she says, grinning. “I took three weeks off work and just flew – every day. I clocked around 50 hours in those three weeks.”
It wasn’t just about ticking off the hour-building requirement. For Charlotte, flying the Cessna was transformational.
“That trip really built my confidence as a pilot. I flew over Gibraltar, landed on dirt strips in Grenada, and experienced controlled airspace at big commercial airports like Bordeaux and Seville. That time in the 172 gave me the flying foundation I rely on now.”
These days Charlotte flies as a First Officer with Ascend Airways, operating charter flights out of London Gatwick on the airline’s ACMI* contracts.
“So far I’ve flown to Corfu, Faro, Chania, and Lanzarote – all the sunny places,” she laughs. “I love every second of it.”
But long before reaching the cockpit, Charlotte had her sights set skyward.
“Becoming a pilot was always my dream,” she explains. “I don’t remember the exact moment I decided, but one of my mum’s best friends flew 747s and 777s – that definitely left an impression.”
She steered her education and early work towards aviation, completing a BTEC Level 3 Diploma in Aeronautical Engineering and working weekends as a Tower Assistant at Blackbushe Airport. That’s where she found Synergy Aviation – a small charter outfit operating King Airs and Cessna Citations – and joined their ops team at just 18.
It was the perfect immersion into aviation.
“I was doing everything – quoting, flight plans, fuel, customs, even escorting passengers to the aircraft. Watching the pilots there, I realised how much broader knowledge helped. That made me more determined to understand every part of the industry.”
While working full-time, Charlotte began her pilot training, earning her Private Pilot’s Licence (PPL) in 2021. From that moment on, she was hooked.
“The first solo flight in the Cessna is something you never forget. You go from passenger to pilot in a heartbeat.”
As Synergy transitioned into Ascend Airways under new ownership, Charlotte took on more responsibility in operations, training, and cabin services – even helping establish the airline’s base at Gatwick. But she never lost sight of her flying goals.
“When I saw more and more pilots around the office, I knew I had to finish what I’d started.”
With support from her manager, Charlotte took five months of unpaid leave to complete her professional pilot training – multi-engine, instrument rating, Commercial Pilot’s Licence, MCC, and UPRT – building on that essential confidence she gained from flying solo in the Cessna.
Her type rating on the 737 began in March 2025. After ground school and sim sessions, she completed base training – six take-offs and landings in the jet – in June. “That was my first time flying the aircraft for real. It was surreal. But I felt ready.”
Eight commercial flights later, Charlotte is living her childhood dream. But she still thinks back fondly to the simplicity of the Cessna.
“You’re the pilot, the navigator, the decision-maker. There’s no one else. That experience flying solo taught me to trust myself, to be ahead of the aircraft, and to enjoy the journey.”
She’s also passionate about inspiring others – particularly women – to follow her path. “Only 6% of pilots in the UK are women. At Ascend, 11% of our pilots are female, which makes a big difference. I want more young women to see this as possible.”
As Charlotte’s story proves, gender is not a barrier. “I started flying four years ago with my Private Pilot’s Licence, and now I fly a B737-8 MAX. For me, flying is the most amazing thing in the world,” said Charlotte.
ACMI leasing is an agreement between two airlines, where the lessor agrees to provide an Aircraft, Crew, Maintenance and Insurance (ACMI) to the lessee in return for payment on the number of block hours operated.
ACMI provides the other airline with additional or replacement capacity, sometimes at short notice.
