Hovercraft Commander Leesa Espley on the 200 Voices podcast
200 Voices an RNLI podcast

‘It’s really rewarding to know you’ve made a difference’

Episode 22 - Flying High: Leesa Espley

She flies a hovercraft for the RNLI. And flies the flag for female volunteers. Meet Leesa Espley.

In 2007, RNLI Hunstanton’s Leesa Espley became the first woman to gain a pilot’s licence to fly an RNLI hovercraft. But she had to do it the hard way – needing laser eye-surgery before she could take flight. Hear how times have changed for RNLI crews, and about what it’s like to pilot something with no brakes.

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