Born in Rugby (England) in 1982, she moved to the south of France with her family at the age of 3 and holds dual French and British nationalities.

Mélanie studied in Beausoleil and then in Monaco at the Collège Charles III and the Lycée Albert 1er. She left school and Monaco in 2000, at the age of 18, without having obtained her baccalaureate. This marked a period of immense doubt and uncertainty for Mélanie, who “didn’t understand this world in which you can’t live your dreams.”

She then entered the workforce, working as a cashier at gas stations to earn a living, putting her childhood dream aside. Talented and determined, Mélanie climbed the ranks to become a gas station manager at the young age of 19, a position she held for seven years, working at around twenty different stations for a management company. Alongside her job, she studied to obtain the equivalent of a high school diploma, the DAEU, which she passed in 2004.

She only took her first flying lesson at the age of 21 and continued lessons to obtain her PPL (Private Pilot Licence) with the minimum number of hours.

In 2006, she was offered the opportunity to learn aerobatics. She immediately became passionate about the sport and showed early talent for the discipline. She won her first French Aerobatics Championship title in 2007 (Junior category). Over the following years, she won several French Championship titles at various levels.

From 2013 to 2014 she was part of the French Advanced Team and finished 7th out of 66 at the World Championships, proving her potential even though her competition machine suffered a breakdown and she was forced to change planes at the last minute.

In 2015, she was part of the French Unlimited Aerobatics Team, world team champions. Mélanie ranks among the top five female pilots in the world at the highest level of aerobatics.

From 2011 to 2016, she was an instructor for airline pilots at the prestigious National School of Civil Aviation (ENAC) in Grenoble. She trained pilots from private pilot to airline pilot and even trained instructors.

Mélanie is the president of her company, Airmel, which she founded in 2014. Airmel sells communication, sponsorship, advertising, and aircraft buying and selling and leasing services. She learned how to manage a company on the job and has built a team to support her in addressing her weaknesses, demonstrating managerial acumen that has enabled her company to succeed.

Starting in 2016, she participated as a Challenger in the Red Bull Air Race World Championship, being the first and still the only woman in the sport's history. In two seasons, she achieved four podium finishes and a first-place finish in Indianapolis in 2017.

In 2017, Mélanie joined the airline Air France and flew on Airbus A320. She stayed there for 1 year but decided to prioritize her passion for racing and her life as a business owner, being at that time very busy with the media, sponsors and competitions.

In 2018, in Cannes, Mélanie achieved the best time but exceeded the 10 G allowed, which earned her a penalty of two seconds, and unfortunately the place in 4th position.

In May 2018, Mélanie fulfilled one of her biggest dreams: flying a Rafale fighter jet. Having received authorization to take the controls, she participated in an aerial combat with a second Rafale. She achieved her lifelong dream thanks to her daring and courageous nature.