B

I've always been a daring risk taker. But when I was 15, my luck ran out. A horseback riding accident resulted in severe injuries, the death of my beloved horse Spooks, and the horrible news that I'd never ride again. I was set on proving the doctors wrong. Just a few months later, with my mother's support, I rode sidesaddle and won my first jumping competition. The excitement was incredible.

From then on, I committed my life to adventure, remembering my mother's lesson: never say, "I can't". At 22, I read about an opening to be a motorcycle trick rider - I'd learned to ride a few years earlier. Still, it was 1976 and I knew they were unlikely to hire a woman. I thought about that as I signed my trick rider application, leaving off the honorific - Ms., hoping to hide the fact that I was a woman. But they never got back to me.

I was heartbroken. Maybe the position had already been filled; maybe they'd discovered I was a woman. My friend Steve then proposed an idea that at first seemed crazy: learning to fly aeroplanes. "Flying is for men," I laughed at the idea. But gradually, I realized the suggestion had stuck with me.

Years ago, trial flights - brief introductory sessions with an instructor - cost just £5 for 15 minutes in the air. Steve and I both signed up, and after my first session, I couldn't stop talking about flying. I got my license and headed for the US to work as a pilot. It wasn't easy. Initially, people were doubtful about a woman working in the role, but I ended up outperforming my male colleagues. Twenty years later, I returned to England and started my own flying company.

Now, I live a quieter life. I've settled in a village in Lincolnshire, spending much of my time volunteering in care homes. Last October, after nearly fifty years and countless adventures, I received a letter from a post office in Staines. It was my trick rider application. The post office apologized for the delay and explained it had been found stuck behind a drawer in the office - the company never received it.

Looking back, I realized that even though I didn't get that job, it led me to a series of adventures that shaped my life in unexpected and fulfilling ways.