Interview with Ellie

Monika: Today I have the pleasure and honor of interviewing Ellie, an American helicopter pilot, veteran, and transgender woman that shares her transition story on social media. Hello Ellie!

Ellie: Hey, it’s great to be able to share my story with everyone.

Monika: Could you say a few words about yourself?

Ellie: I was raised up in the country, riding horses, helping out at my grandpa's ranch. I was always interested in the acceptable boy things like guns and sports. After high school, I joined the military and used my benefits once I got out to learn how to fly. I was a very successful helicopter pilot for three years until one day my fiancée was watching a video from one of the transgender YouTubers she watches and it planted a seed in my mind. So I looked into other transgender people's experiences and it became instantly clear that I have been ignoring all the signs from my past that I have always been transgender. I came out to my fiancée that day and everyone else within the week.

Interview with Kirsty Jayne Crow

Monika: Today it is my pleasure and honor to interview Kirsty Jayne Crow, an aviation consultant, teacher, and author of the memoir “Three Weddings and a Sex Change” (2016). Hello Kirsty!

Kirsty: Hi Monika, I feel very privileged to have this opportunity to speak to you. You have interviewed some truly remarkable women so I’m amongst exalted company.

Monika: Could you say a few words about yourself?

Kirsty: I grew up on the beautiful island of Jersey and shared a happy childhood with two sisters with whom I remain close. I began to question my gender identity when I was about eight years old, jealous of siblings who could wear gorgeous clothes and sport long silky hair. My teenage years were a time of particular angst and I sort refuge in cross-dressing, my sisters’ wardrobes providing a ready source of feminine attire.

From about the age of 12, I became fascinated with aviation and as soon as I was old enough I learned to fly. A career as a pilot beckoned, but unfortunately, when I was 22 I was diagnosed with insulin-dependent diabetes, putting pay to any such ambitions. I instead pursued a long and successful career in airline operations, working for a number of major airlines.