Barbara Harmer TOPICS: Motivation Goal Setting Success Adventure / Travel FEE CATEGORY:* Contact for fee schedule Profile Request This Speaker

Barbara Harmer

The world's only female Concorde pilot.

As Senior First Officer on the British Airways Concorde Fleet, Barbara Harmer is civil aviation's only female supersonic pilot.

She left school at fifteen to become a hairdresser, and left six years later to become an air traffic controller at Gatwick airport. It was at this time that she decided to study for the 'A' levels she had missed by leaving school early. She ordered the syllabuses from the examining boards, studied the recommended texts and past papers, and by teaching herself passed in Geography, English Law, Constitutional Law and Politics.

She then invested thousands of pounds of her own money to pay for flying lessons. Having gained a private pilot's licence and then a commercial licence, she became a flying instructor and then a pilot with a small commuter airline. In 1984 she joined British Caledonian, operating BAC-1-11s for three years before converting to long-haul DC-10s. British Caledonian was acquired by British Airways in 1988.

Her elevation in 1993 to First Officer on Concorde followed her completion of the demanding technical and procedural training British Airways insists on for its Concorde pilots. Only 37 BA captains and first officers, out of 3,500 flight crew, have the seniority and experience to fly the world's only commercial supersonic aircraft. Barbara Harmer is one of 40 female pilots employed by BA but the only Concorde pilot. (Barbara's skills are not confined to supersonic flight. She is also a fully qualified commercial Yachtmaster and often skippers her own boat on charters around the waters of southern England.)

Based on her unique experience, Barbara Harmer speaks on motivation, setting and achieving goals and teamwork.

Clients are Saying:
"Barbara's story is an inspiration to us all and at the same time she has some very down to earth messages for people working in a business environment"
British Telecom

"Thank you very much for speaking at our conference. Your story is truly inspiring and as you said it just goes to show that if you are determined enough anything is possible"
NatWest

* Please note that while this speaker's specific fee falls within the range posted at the top of this page (for Continental U.S. based events), fees are subject to change without notice. Also note that most celebrity keynotes begin in the $25,000 and up range (most list "Contact for Fee Schedule"). For current fee information or international event fees, please contact your Speakers Platform representative.