Fran West

Fran West is an award-winning pilot, adventurer, author, photographer and motivational speaker.

She is Australia's Life Pilot, motivating others to pilot their own lives (personal and business) and navigate their way to success.

In a remarkable life turn around, this ordinary woman, while in her mid forties, left her comfort zone of public library manager to set off in an aircraft for the adventure of a life time – a marathon flight around Australia's coast.

Her Oz Flight '99 led to her becoming the first woman to pilot a light aircraft around the coast of Australia (mainland and Tasmania).

Her second adventure, in 2002, was Sea, Sky and Sand: a flight around South Australia's coast and Outback. This flight was to celebrate the Year of the Outback and the 200th anniversary of Flinders' and Baudin's sea voyages.

Not long after a memorable trek in the Himalaya, Fran's next life challenge was surviving a head on collision in a car (not a plane!). This accident not only left her with multiple injuries but also impacted heavily on her emotionally and financially.

However, Fran is not a quitter and she was determined to draw inner strength from the experiences and lessons she had learnt on her two aerial odysseys. A case of practise what you preach!

Fran's main philosophies are to have a go, follow dreams (at any age) and ADD value to life by having the right Attitude, making Decisions and being Determined to follow them through.

She has been presented with a Spirit of Adventure Award from Australian Geographic magazine for an "inspirational circumnavigation of Australia in a Cessna 172". Fran has also been presented with the Lores Bonney Trophy – the prestigious aviation award donated by Australia's pioneer aviator of the 1930s. Another true inspiration for Fran's flying was her modern-day mentor, the late Nancy Bird Walton, who always encouraged her to push the boundaries.

In addition to her book and CD, Plane Reflections: about life and a flight around Australia’s coast, Fran has contributed articles for various aviation and tourist magazines. She has also collaborated in several educational publications.

More recently, Fran has been able to combine her passion for flying and photography by working together with aged care therapists to produce DVDs for dementia patients.

Check out the websites at the end of the hub.