This Queen’s second year flies her own private plane in her spare time

Most of us are lucky to have a driver’s licence. Queen’s student Fiona Saygivar has gone a step further and gotten her very own private pilot’s licence.

Coming from a family that owns its own private plane it is no surprise that high-flying Fiona has continued the trend.

The Maths and Physics second year says people don’t usually believe her at first when she says she has a private pilot’s licence.

“Even the bouncers in Box didn’t believe my when I tried to use it to get into the club during Fresher’s Week.”

Fiona, who has just turned 20, has experienced her fair share of sexism for her unusual skill.

She says: “Most male pilots don’t believe me because firstly I’m a woman and secondly I started so young. On one occasion I was approached in Limelight by a fellow pilot bragging of his experience in the air. He thought he was so good, saying he had 40 hours. And I was like, “Oh my god, I have 140 hours”.

“He was just a twat. He thought he was going to pull all round him, but he was most certainly not going to pull me.”

Keep calm and take a selfie

You probably failed your driving test on the first go, but Fiona can perfect a three point turn thousands of miles in the air.

“You have to keep calm and focused when in the air. That’s the hard part. At one stage I had to do an emergency landing, but I managed to keep my cool. I completely freaked out when I landed. I didn’t cry though.”

Feel inadequate yet?

The cool, calm and collected second year says her ideal passenger is Egyptian queen Cleopatra.

“I love Cleopatra, she’s a boss-ass-bitch and I loved the movie Julius Caesar and Cleopatra.

“If I’m completely honest I just love the idea of her being the Queen of Egypt in a time when women took a more secondary role in society. Plus I’m sure she has a story to tell.”

Fiona adds: “And my ideal destination would be the Seychelles, because it is just the most beautiful place in the world.

“But I would love to fly a bi-plane in the Outback. I don’t know why, but I loved the movie Kangaroo Jack and it has been in my head ever since then.

It would sure beat getting the shuttle bus out to Jordanstown

Fiona, who got her pilot’s licence at the age of just 17, still has huge goals for the future.

“I just want to be a captain I think, you know, of one of the real crème de la crème airlines. I’m not sure which one yet though.”