Chinook Crew 'Chick': Highs and Lows of Forces Life from the Longest Serving Female RAF Chinook Force Crewmember

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It's usually troops in contact or there's been an IED of some format so, you know, most of the time you're kind of going into somewhere that's pretty tasty when you're going to land.

AeroTime caught up with Liz earlier this week and also appointed her as the latest AeroTime Aviation Champion in recognition of her work and dedication to the industry. It's Liz here again, and today, I’d like to chat about something that's close to my heart – the importance of giving your mental health a score.She was the youngest aircrew to deploy to Iraq aged just 21 and also the only female crewman on the Chinook wing for 4 years, so her story is completely unique. Having witnessed horrific scenarios, Liz began to struggle with her mental health, attempting to take her own life in 2020.

Liz McConaghy was the only female crew member on the Chinook wing for four years (Picture: Liz McConaghy). When I left hospital [after the suicide attempt] I had that total euphoric feeling you don’t often get. Her narrative style is engaging and filled with vivid descriptions that make you feel like you're right there in the aircraft, experiencing the adrenaline rush and the camaraderie that comes with military aviation. Her candid account of overcoming adversity and pushing through boundaries is an inspiration not only to aspiring aviators but to anyone facing obstacles in their chosen path.But I internalised that pressure; I didn’t wanna be that Liz, crying in the back of the tent or the last one at the fitness test. During this month, Airfix is proud to highlight some key contributions of women throughout history, as part of an exciting campaign celebrating Women’s History Month, March 2023. If you would like to help veterans like me rebuild their lives after service, then please play the Veterans' Lottery.

Serving on MERT, she was tasked with recovering wounded soldiers and witnessed some of the most horrifying scenes of human suffering. After calmly writing a suicide note to her family and friends, she began to swallow 95 pills, one by one, before closing her eyes for one last time, “my brain finally at peace”. The 2020 lockdown further unravelled her mental state, leading to a harrowing episode in August where she attempted to take her own life with an overdose. It's like having a personal scorecard – a simple yet powerful tool that allows us to gauge where we are and take steps to uplift ourselves. But if you can get everyone to use that system, it’s also a good measure for other people and help them notice how you’re doing.They’ll stop something else working and they’ll fall out the sky, whereas for us, we’re pretty okay.