AOPA Pilot Magazine - April 2019 - 6

PRESIDENT'S POSITION

Soaring through ceilings

BY MARK BAKER
President and CEO

Inspiring and supporting women pilots
"No borders, just horizons-only freedom"
-Amelia Earhart

AOPA President
MARK BAKER

is looking forward
to hosting an AOPA
Fly-In at Frederick
Municipal Airport
on May 10 and 11
in celebration of
the association's
eightieth
anniversary.

6 | AOPA PILOT April 2019

IN THE EARLY TWENTIETH CENTURY, Amelia Earhart
defied the odds when she became the first woman to fly
solo across the Atlantic Ocean. She was and still is considered a champion for women in aviation having set record
after record in her short life. History books, biographies,
and documentaries classify her as a great female aviator, and her legacy lives on in the countless women who
prove that a "great female pilot" is simply a great pilot.
Aviation was a boys' club in its early days, and it still
isn't much better today. Just think about the last time you
flew commercially. "On behalf of the flight crew, let me
welcome you aboard...." Passengers tend to mindlessly
ignore the inflight announcements except when it comes
from the higher-pitched voice of a female captain.
Even though we live in the twenty-first century,
women working in male-dominated industries deal
with belittlement every day. In 2018, a young female
pilot's tweet went viral for calling out male passengers
who made jokes about her gender saying they wouldn't
have boarded had they known she was flying. But it's
clear the pilot had the last laugh after tweeting, "Fact
is, I can fly an £80m jet, you can't."
People are often surprised to see women flying.
From pilots, astronauts, air traffic controllers, maintenance technicians, business owners, educators, flight
attendants, airshow performers, and airport managers, women have long been making waves in aviation.
Although women make up just 7 percent of pilots,
they are continuing to inspire new generations of girls
to write their own history and be a part of this amazing
experience of flying. As fellow pilots striving to make
GA more accessible, it's our job to welcome them. But
the industry hasn't always been so inclusive and, historically, women have had to overcome challenges and
break through barriers.
During World War II, Women Airforce Service
Pilots, also known as WASP, received the same military training as their male counterparts and did some
of the most important jobs, from ferrying aircraft to
training, and even acting as test pilots. Although part
of the greatest generation, WASP were not considered
active duty military and were forbidden to be buried at
our nation's most hallowed ground-Arlington National
Cemetery. In 2002, a decision allowed the heroines into

the cemetery, but it was quickly reversed. It wasn't until
the granddaughter of WASP Elaine Harmon started a
petition fighting for her grandmother and all other surviving WASP to be buried in the famous cemetery that
things changed. In 2016 it was announced that WASP
were allowed back in.
Female aviators in the Navy, Army, and Air Force
could only train and do noncombat jobs until 1993
when restrictions on female pilots flying combat missions were lifted. That was thanks to Rosemary Mariner,
who shattered barriers, becoming one of the first female
fighter pilots in the Navy. To honor her life and accomplishments, the first ever all-female fighter pilot flyover
took place in a ceremonial tribute in February.
Women have come a long way in the industry, but
the underrepresentation is still surprising. At one of
our fly-ins, a member reluctantly told a story of how
his daughter said she didn't know girls could be pilots.
He was in disbelief but took it as an opportunity for us
all to do better; I'm sure there are plenty of other young
girls who have the same mindset.
That's why it's important for the GA community to
change that perception. We should take more initiative
to welcome female pilots and those who show interest
in this great hobby of ours. To quote champion aerobatic
aviatrix Patty Wagstaff on gender: "Do you think the airplane knows-or cares?" (See "The 7 Percent," p. 82.)
AOPA is working to inspire a new generation of
youth to pursue careers in aviation with its high school
aviation science, technology, engineering, and math
(STEM) curriculum. Especially for young people and
students who don't come from an aviation family, the
high school classes can become a starting point. The
You Can Fly curriculum is designed to instill the love
of flying in young people as our industry faces an everpresent pilot and workforce shortage.
So far, I am very proud of the curriculum effort. The
program has exceeded our expectations with nearly
2,000 enrolled students, of which 25 percent are female
and 51 percent are minorities.
But there is still more work to be done. As a community of pilots, we should strive toward a future
where a woman's voice on the radio, presence in the
cockpit, or gold epaulets on her shirt isn't shockingly
out of the ordinary.
AOPA
EMAIL mark@aopa.org

AOPA Pilot Magazine - April 2019

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