If It's Your Dream, Go For It!

I was not one of those pilots who knew from day one that I wanted to be a pilot.  In fact, I didn't even know it was possible for a girl to be a pilot.  I'd never seen that before, and it was never one of the careers that came up on career day in school.  I always thought I would just have to be a music teacher, since that's what I was good at.

When I was a sophomore, I decided to start taking college courses because I could get college credit and high school credit for each course.  I'd taken quite a few of the ones offered, so by the time I was a senior, I was down to just a couple remaining.  One of them was Intro to Aviation Science.  I wasn't entirely sure what that class was about, but I needed some more science credits for high school, so I decided to take it.  And it was so cool!  We got to learn about the history of aviation, the basics of flying, and listen to many of the awesome stories the teacher had to tell.   I loved going to that class.  I geeked out and went to the library each week to check out more aviation books- from aerodynamics, angle of attack, airspace... you name it.  If the library had it, I read it.

But some questions were always in the back of my mind...can women do this career?  Will it be weird if I am the only girl in my classes?  Is this career even possible for me?

Though I wanted it, I was still undecided about becoming a pilot.  But I wanted to give it a try, so I decided to apply for a couple of aviation scholarships; if I got a scholarship I would get my private pilot's license and then decided if it was something I really wanted to do.  I got both scholarships (wahoo!), so I was off to Utah Valley University to begin my college career and flight training.  I took a few aviation courses my first semester, but mostly only general education classes, incase I changed my mind about aviation.  I started flying shortly after the semester began.

Photo Courtesy of  Mat Haderlie

But once I started I could not stop.  I was addicted to flying!  It didn't matter anymore that I was usually the only girl in class, or that all my pilot friends were guys.  I realized that airplanes don't care about gender, so why should I?  Flying is the best career for me, and I've never regretted choosing this career.  But it was not always flowers and bunnies...

I had opposition all over the place.  I took a Ethics and Values class (required for any degree at UVU), and I literally had a student in that class tell me that it was a sin for women to be in the workplace, let alone be a pilot.  Women were supposed to stay home and take care of the kids and house- not work in a man's world.  That stung, but then I realized he was wrong.  Did he not realize that it was 2004 and not the 1900s?

I also had numerous friends (including friends at the airlines) ask me how they could change my mind about becoming a pilot.  They would tell me about the awful pay when starting at the airlines, how I would have to put my life on the line every day I hopped in the plane with a student, how I would have to be gone all the time and wouldn't be able to have a family.

Instead of listening to their negativity, I found solutions for it all.  I payed off all my student loans before going to the airlines so that my first year pay cut wouldn't be so bad, I trained my students on the ground before taking them flying so it wasn't a safety risk, and I chose to go to an airline that supports families.  I work 4-5 days a week and am usually only gone for one night of that.

Whatever problem you are facing while trying to live your dream of becoming a pilot, there is a solution- you just have to figure out what it is.  I am here to tell you that only YOU can decide to throw out all the negative comments and keep working towards your dream.  Of course there are going to days where you want to give up.  That's just life.  If you want this bad enough, YOU can find a way to make it work.  You can choose to listen to others who tell you to pursue something else, or you can listen to yourself and do it anyways.  I asked myself this question all the time "Will I be truly happy doing anything else?"  If the answer is no, then keep at it.

College was tough, but studying wasn't so bad because I was studying what I loved.  Flight Instructing had its challenging days, but I got to teach some of the best people I now know.  My first year at the airlines, with such low pay, was hard, but it was worth it because I got to go to work every day doing something that I love.    Because I chose to follow my dream and not listen to the Debbie-Downers all around me, I have been able to look forward to every day of my life.  And I wouldn't trade that for anything.

What's your dream?  Decide to do it, and then just do it!

Happy flying!  :)