and that came with all the trepidation
and nerves that you'd perhaps expect.
It was possibly the best environment
I could imagine being in because you work,
environment is a family,
You are very close knit.
So I absolutely wanted to be there,
around people that I respected
I came out as transgender while serving.
Ayla Holdom was a Search and Rescue Sea King pilot based at RAF Chivenor. In 2011, she became the first openly transgender pilot in the British Armed Forces. One of her colleagues was HRH The Duke of Cambridge who invited her and others from their unit to his wedding in April 2011. Holdom retired from the RAF in 2015 after a 13-year career to fly police helicopters.
Wales , United Kingdom
| Role Pilot | Rank Flt Lt | Age 32 |
Naked on the phone to Prince William
Ayla HoldomThe safety of the casualty comes last.
Ayla HoldomPeople stopped swearing. It made no sense at all.
Ayla Holdom
He wasn't a prince. He was part of the team.
Ayla Holdom
Trump is wrong.
Ayla Holdom
She had plenty of power and liked being used.
Ayla HoldomYou can't just go riding in like a hero.
Ayla HoldomLightning Strikes. Twice.
Ayla Holdom
When we lose someone we journey through it as a family.
Alice McDermott
I decided I needed to be a dad.
Ian Sweet
I see myself as the Jose Mourinho of Tug of War
Flt. Lt. Gareth Davies
My RAF friends will be there forever
Trevor Edwards
Everyone has a role to play.
Charles Hammerton
The RAF gave me a new cultural identity.
Peter Ramrayka
Mother was horrified, but Father overruled her.
Shobha Earl
I was afraid that someone would have to lay down their life to protect me.
Eleanor Rance
Just get out of Dover
Katherine Du Plat-Taylor
My sexuality has no impact on my role in the RAF.
Kate Brophy
