Glamorous Ryanair pilot takes Instagram by storm with her jet-set snaps including cockpit selfies and bikini yoga on the beach

A blonde bombshell pilot has shot to Instagram fame after documenting her jet set lifestyle and the glamorous side of working in aviation. 

Maria Pettersson who works for budget airline Ryainair, has amassed more than 128,000 followers on the social networking site, sharing images of herself at work operating the controls in preparation for take-off, sitting inside an engine turbine or hanging out of a cockpit window for a selfie.

The 32-year-old Swedish beauty also shares her images of her life outside of her aircraft 'office' showing off impossible yoga moves against breathtaking backdrops or displaying her super toned shape in tiny bikinis while paddleboarding.

Maria, from Gothenburg in Sweden but now living in Palermo in Sicily, Italy said she started the flight deck selfies to let her friends and family see her everyday life at work after becoming a pilot at 25.
She said: 'I loved the positive feedback I was getting and all the curious questions from young aviators asking about how to become a pilot or flight simulator pilots asking about a specific procedure.'

And speaking about carving a successful career in a male-dominated environment she said: 'My story is about strong females in a male dominated environment. Proving that we are just as good as them. Believing in ourselves and keeping a positive attitude towards life.' 

Maria, who is currently single, became a commercial pilot aged 30 and regularly flies a Boeing 737 which can hold almost 200 passengers, has a wingspan of 111 feet and ranges from 102 feet to 138 feet in length but the lithe beauty is not fazed by this mighty machine.
'When flying into airports like Rome, Fiumicino where we share runways with the big birds like Boeing 777 or Airbus 380 I don´t feel that big any more,' she said.
'We are just a baby in comparison but I remember sitting in my Cessna 172 next to a Boeing 737 and the 737 seemed huge.

'I remember talking to a friend who is a 737 pilot and he said "But it only takes just almost 200 passengers".
“Two hundred only - are you crazy? My Cessna takes a maximum of four.”' Flight training is expensive unfortunately.
Maria hopes she can show others that you don’t need to be a rich man in order to become a pilot.
She explained: 'Before starting my training I worked and saved for most of the costs. In the end mine cost me around 65,000 euros.'

'I never thought becoming a pilot was an option for me due to the high costs and the fact that most pilots were men,' she said.
'The more I thought about it the more I wanted it and I knew it was the perfect fit for me. I was 24 at the time. I worked hard to save for the costs of flight training and studied even harder. Hard work pays off and my dream became reality.'
'For me so far the toughest challenge has been to get that first flying job. Competition was tough and many unemployed pilots fighting for the same job.'
'It took me years. I'm very lucky to be where I am today flying a young fleet of Boeing 737 around Europe.'


(culled from www.dailymail.co.uk)