Maths ace Carol reaching for the sky at RAF Cosford Air Show
"I always wanted to be a pilot", said Carol Vorderman, whose high aspirations took off in an altogether different direction when she found fame co-hosting quiz show Countdown.
Since playing her last numbers game and getting her wings, Carol says she wants to encourage other women to set their sights sky high by considering careers in aviation.
"I want to promote flying as available to everyone. It's not just rich boys with big toys. "
"There's a whole load of people who live normal lives, who can fly an aircraft and just love it and are so passionate about it," said the Loose Women presenter, who has vowed to fulfil her dream of flying solo around the world next year.
"I always wanted to be a pilot", said Carol Vorderman, whose high aspirations took off in an altogether different direction when she found fame co-hosting quiz show Countdown.
And on Sunday, the mother-of-two will swoop into RAF Cosford in her red and white Diamond DA40 for the annual air show.
"It's an amazing day out," said Carol, 53, who achieved her first solo land away at Halfpenny Green on the Shropshire border.
"All the hangars are open and are filled with things to see and do for all the family so I would urge people to just do it. They'll be hooked like me. I went to Cosford Air Show last year, it is a fantastic event so I'm going again."
She said: "I'm an ambassador for STEM – an acronym for Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths and I think aviation is an amazing way of getting kids excited about these subjects."
Carol studied engineering at Cambridge University in the hope of working for British Airways but instead ended up working at a hydro-electric power station before landing the Countdown job.
But said she rekindled her love of aviation when she met boyfriend Graham Duff, a former Red Arrows Squadron Leader and is now "totally obsessed with flying".
"Growing up in North Wales I always wanted to be a pilot but because I was a girl in the 70s life was a bit sexist back then in my teens and the RAF wouldn't take women pilots until 1990," said Carol.
"But I thought I'm not going to let that stop me. I went from a comprehensive school to read engineering at Cambridge which was unheard of because we didn't have any money. I thought 'I am going to join British Airways'. I am going to bang on their door and make them listen to me.
"But in the end I got into Countdown. So it's only when my children were a bit older that I have had time to do the things I have always wanted to do."
Carol's daughter Katie is at Cambridge studying physics, where she is a member of its RAF squadron and the presenter's son Cameron is doing his A-levels.
Carol said: "Children and young people should be given the opportunity to think about engineering and aviation. We have some of the biggest names in aviation here in the UK. Rolls Royce power almost every airline in the world, and there's BAE Systems and Airbus.
"I am very lucky, working in the media, that people have been very supportive. I know that girls and women of a certain age might think it's difficult to get into. But if you're thinking 'I have always wanted to do that' then go and have a trial lesson. You do have to dedicate yourself to it and you do work hard but it's happy work and it's quite spiritual when you are up there.
"It's liberating because you're not being bothered by emails and phone calls. You get great peace of mind because you're concentrating solely on flying but at the same time you have these fascinating views."
Carol got her private pilot's licence last year after becoming the first person to make their debut solo flight live on television.
She squealed with delight after landing the single-engine plane successfully at Gloucestershire airport live on This Morning.
Now she says she "goes everywhere" in her own plane, taking Graham, Katie and Cameron for trips above the clouds.
"We've got a little red and white Diamond DA40 that we get out in about four or five times a week," she said. "It's a four seater but basically weight is very critical so most four seaters can only carry four people on minimal fuel so we don't go too far in it with four of us. It's normally just the two of us.
"Next year I want to fly around the world solo," she said. "I think it's going to take me about two to three months realistically but it's the training for it that will take a lot of time and hard work."
Carol hopes to follow the 29,000 mile route taken by tragic heroine Amelia Earhart who went missing during her around the world attempt in 1937 after becoming the first female pilot to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean. She was formally declared dead in 1939 but her body has never been found.
Carol encourages anyone interested in finding out more about flying to head down to their local aeroclub and ask questions.
She said: "There are three branches of aviation, military, commercial and general which is where people like me do what we call puddle-hopping from one airfield to another.
"And the world of general aviation is a very friendly world where people have a great passion for flying and we all want to talk about it all the time and would welcome anybody who wants to listen.
"Aeroclubs are a hugely untapped resource for young people. It isn't a closed club. People are more than happy to chat but if you never ring up or never turn up you'll never know."
STEM highlights need for science:
STEM is an acronym for Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics
The organisation attempts to inspire young people to get involved in science-based subjects by showing them just how vital they are to our world
The UK is the worlds sixth largest manufacturer, engineering turnover is around £800 billion per year, and while the UK makes up only one per cent of the worlds population, we produce 10 per cent of the worlds top scientific research
Employers find it difficult to recruit staff with the skills they need for meet their needs and there is a rarity of young women entering these kids of jobs
Stem organises events that help stimulate interest in science and maths and helps teachers with strategies that ensure they can make the subject interesting
The organisation also creates links between schools and industry so that children are able to see how science subjects are relevant to real life
Find at more at www.national stemcentre.org.uk
