AS women living in the UK today, we’re commonly assured we can have it all.

Compared to the lives of our grandmothers 60 years ago, there is a freedom of choice not known before when it comes to how to shaping our future and career paths.

But is the sky really the limit for us girls? It’s a mixed report from the world of aviation.

Among the approximately 130,000 pilots in the world, just 4,000 (three per cent) are women; making it safe to say ladies are woefully underrepresented in the industry.

Yet with 617,000 commercial airline pilots needed to service an expanding global airline delivery by 2035, female pilots are needed now more than ever.

Invited along to Perth Airport’s Aviation Centre ahead of an upcoming Girls/Women in Aviation Training Day, this past weekend saw the realms of work perks take on new heights.

Kicking off my afternoon with a simulator experience - which would be combined with flight lessons for those hoping to gain their Commercial Pilot Licence – I took my tentative first steps into the world of aviation.

Learning that flying involves juggling multiple tasks and a lot of upper arm strength (must report to the gym), it was then onto the real deal in their Cessna 152 G-BGLG.

I can see why people get the bug for it.

After clicking my seatbelt into place (and personally carrying out an extra couple of safety tugs to make sure it was fully secured), taking off into the air in this tiny aircraft triggers a mix of emotions simultaneously.

Unlike your typical holiday flight onboard a Boeing 747, you feel a sense of tempting fate far more in a small aircraft.

Looking out the window at the patchwork of fields, tiny communities and toy cars, the fear that overcame me was palpable, wondering just what was stopping us from plummeting downwards.

But despite any fears that arose, there’s also the exhilaration of being in flight; of seeing oncoming weather before it arrives, and gaining a view few people ever have the chance to witness.

Communicating through microphones that were linked up to our headphones, the pilot would set me challenges to get used to the sensitivity and pressure needed to steer the plane.

I was reassured to find manoeuvring a real plane was far easier than the simulator experience. As I tilted the plane right, then centre, then left, and saw the wings of the plane alter accordingly, the sense of power and freedom of movement was really something.

I can confidently assure everyone I will never win any awards for driving a car, but flying a plane? Perhaps I had found my niche.

Seeking to encourage more women into aviation, on September 23, ACS Flight Training will highlight their passion, exploration, learning and excitement of aviation and aerospace.

In what is their inaugural Girls in Aviation Day, the event is set to be a fun and inspiring day, with 50 per cent off all flying experiences. Visit: www.acsflighttraining.co.uk.