Ladies, It’s Time for You to Learn to Fly
For women, if you want a job that is adventureous, challenging, well-respected and simply amazing, who not work to become an airline pilot? The commercial aviation industry worldwide is open to female pilots now. The numbers are for women commercial pilots, but increasing all the time. In the U.S., for example, women make up about 6% of the 53,000 members of the Air Line Pilot Association (ALPA), which represents pilots in the United States and Canada. In the U.K, approximately 200 of the 10,000 airline pilots are women. The first woman to pilot a commercial airlines was Helen Richey — and that was nearly 80 years ago. So you might still be a wee bit of a “pioneer,” but the opportunities are fully open to you.
Angela Masson, a retired American Airlines captain, who heads the International Society of Women Airline Pilots, said that flying has to be something that you really, really want. She added it’s a very challenging career. It’s also a very exciting and rewarding career! Masson flew for American Airlines for 31 years, so she knows first-hand.
Jill Schilmoeller wanted to be a pilot since she was a child, so after she received a college degree, she learned to fly and become a flight instructor to build more flight hours. (NOTE: Phoenix East Aviation will help you do this also, to become a flight instructor). She then went to work for FedEx, which pays one of the highest salaries in the industry for pilots.
Women who do take up the challenge and choose to be an airline pilot will experience an amazing career, as well as a chance to see the world. Angela Masson talks about ”zooming down runways with only the future in the way, to lift into the sky to play with the clouds, to watch heaven’s light dance…..” What a thrill.
Phoenix East Aviation encourages women as well as men to join the academy for flight training. In addition to both male and female students from all over the world, Phoenix East also employs men AND women as qualified flight instructors. Learn more about this from a knowledgeable Phoenix East Aviation admissions officer (men and women admissions officers!). Start at www.pea.com: your first step to an amazing career.