Dorothy Saul-Pooley originally qualified as a Solicitor and worked in the City for several years before learning to fly. She left the law in the early 1990s to gain a CPL (A) and Instructor Rating and worked as an instructor full-time for several years. She then continued to instruct part-time whilst working as an Aviation Lawyer, finally reversing the balance in 1999 to instruct full-time on Instructor courses and act as a part-time aviation consultant. Having successfully run FI courses at Shoreham for a number of years, Dorothy set up Pooleys Flying Instructor School in early 2005 to specialise solely in the training of Flying Instructors and Examiners. The school held approval for Instructor and Examiner Refresher seminars. Dorothy sold the school in 2018 to concentrate on writing projects and independent consultancy and has continued to provide input to a successor company delivering instructor seminars.
In addition to holding an ATPL(A) and FIC/FIE ratings on aeroplanes, Dorothy is unique in holding a CPL(H) and is also qualified as a helicopter instructor.
Dorothy was the first Chairman of the Instructor sub-Committee and is also a past Chairman of the Education and Training Committee of the Honourable Company of Air Pilots (formerly known as GAPAN). She has served on the Court of the Air Pilots since 2001 and was for many years on the Scholarship selection committee. She has served on the Trophies and Awards Committee since 2007. Dorothy was installed as the Master of the Honourable Company on 17th March 2014 and when she completed her term of office, on 9th March 2015, was installed as the Immediate Past Master.
Dorothy is a Liveryman of the Worshipful Company of Stationers, a director of Air Pilot Publishing Limited and a Court member of the Guild of Freemen. In addition, Dorothy is the Founder and Chairman of the Professional Flying Instructor Association, the Governor of the British Section of the 99s, International Women Pilots Organisation, the founder and past Chairman of the Southern England (Concorde) chapter of Women in Aviation International and the author and editor of a number of training manuals.