Anna Modos’s Journey from Entrepreneur to Pilot
Before she ever heard the autopilot disconnect chime she loves, Anna Modos was on a very different trajectory. She started a business while still in secondary school, later earned a place at one of the most demanding university programmes—medicine—and then climbed the corporate ladder to a point where she was being positioned to co-lead a billion-dollar company. Yet at that precipice she handed in her notice and set her sights on the sky.
Now Modos has been flying for three years with Europe’s largest low-cost airline, an Irish carrier with a base in Baden-Baden, Germany. Among the fifty pilots stationed there, she is the only woman. What often draws passengers’ attention, however, is not just her gender but the dreadlocks she wears proudly with her uniform. To get through the interview, she bought a wig, a decision that later nearly caused a misunderstanding with security. The episode is just one chapter in a life she jokes could fill three or four biographies.
Her story, shared during an appearance at the Forbes Women’s Summit in May, is a vivid example of a professional who refused to let a conventional resume or grooming standards dictate her future. From medicine to business and finally to the flight deck, Modos represents a rare blend of tenacity and nonconformity in an industry traditionally built on uniformity.
Why Modos’s Punk Spirit is More Than a Curiosity
The punk spirit in the cockpit
Modos describes herself as a punk soul, and her appearance—dreadlocks paired with a pilot’s uniform—is a deliberate rejection of the buttoned-down image that still dominates aviation. While airlines have relaxed strict grooming rules in recent years, a female pilot with dreadlocks on a European low-cost carrier remains an anomaly. Her decision to wear a wig to the interview not only got her the job but also reveals a pragmatic side: she was willing to conform temporarily to gain entry into a world she would then reshape on her own terms.
Redrawing the path to the flight deck
Her route to the right-hand seat defies the linear narrative common among airline pilots. Many come from accelerated cadet programmes or military backgrounds. Modos built a business before university, studied medicine, rose through a corporate hierarchy, and only then self-funded the costly private pilot licences. This unorthodox path challenges the assumption that a career in aviation must begin in one’s early twenties, and it normalises the idea that a dramatic professional reset is possible later in life even without an immediately relevant degree.
A slow shift in cockpit demographics
Globally, women make up around 5–7% of airline pilots, and the number is even lower in command roles. Modos’s presence at a base where she is the only woman among 50 colleagues is a reminder of how far the industry has to go. Her visibility, amplified by her distinctive style, may do more to demystify the pilot’s seat for young women than any formal outreach campaign—simply by showing that the person flying the plane can look like them.
What Career-Changers Can Take from Modos’s Leap
- Prepare for gatekeepers without losing yourself. Modos bought a wig to align with traditional grooming expectations for the interview, then revealed her authentic appearance once hired. For career-changers facing rigid dress or presentation codes, a tactical approach to the first barrier can secure the role while leaving room to be genuine later.
- A drastic career reset is possible—if you budget for the hard costs. Modos self-funded her pilot training, a substantial financial commitment. Anyone considering a similar switch to a licenced profession should research the full cost and timeline upfront and build a dedicated savings plan, as the payback period can be long, particularly in entry-level aviation roles.
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