AOPA Turbine Pilot Magazine - August 2017 - T-25

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AROUND THE WORLD IN ABOUT 80 DAYS
Adventures of a globetrotter
In 2014, Azara completed an around-the-world trip in an unmodified Pilatus PC-12
NG. She landed in 29 countries and 35 airports and flew a total of about 27,500
miles in 78 days. "Flying into Hong Kong was one of the most challenging landings ever, because that's one fast-paced, busy airport and I was flying a PC-12, not
an airliner. It was a lot of work. I had to be on top of my game or be vectored off,"
she said. In Agra, India, only the women were allowed restrooms after landing. In
Magadan, Russia, what was supposed to be an overnight turned into an extended
stay after the airport shut down because of torrential rain-which lasted days. It
eventually resulted in collapsing roads and overflowing rivers,
-SSH

at ease with their aircraft; some
prefer to fly with a safety pilot;
some own airplanes but do not
fly themselves; and sometimes
she will fly an owner's family
where they need to go.
"I love the different clients,
the fact that they're not just an
anonymous face in a crowd in the
back of the airplane, and that I'm
able to interact with them," Azara
said. That's probably the reason
why she'd think twice about
working for an airline again.
But it 's not all glamour, and the day's not over
once the engine's shut down.
Depending on the type of aircraft, Azara has to stock the
pantry, service the tires, check
the oxygen, handle light and
heavy baggage, tidy up the
cabin, and, yes, clean the toilet. "The fact that I'm a bit
obsessive-compulsive when it
comes to cleaning is actually
an asset in this environment.
I run a clean ship," she said.
It also helps that she's a regular customer at her local gym,
because it takes muscle to lift
and store baggage and handle
other, heavy items.
So what's it like to be a
woman in a male-dominated
environment? "I can honestly
say I've always been treated
very fairly by my peers," Azara
said. Exceptions are few, and "I

wouldn't want to fly for such an outfit anyway."
Any reservations she experienced came from
passengers. She remembers an incident when
she was flying for American Eagle. Boarding
the airplane in her pilot's uniform, she was
approached by a passenger asking her to bring
him a glass of apple juice. The crew on that
day was all-female, so another passenger wondered aloud if they were all properly qualified.
Even though she's considered a minority in
her field-only 5 percent of corporate pilots are
women-Azara says she doesn't want special
consideration because of her gender. She maintains that the industry has taken great strides to
entice women into flying.
When she's not flying, Azara is a farmer.
She and her husband, Danny, bought and
work a blueberry farm in Georgia, where
they also keep horses. Besides flying, riding
is Azara's other passion. The farm is open
to the public in June to people who want to
pick their own fruit. Like many corporate
pilots, Azara runs the farm as a sideline to
boost their income, and because next to flying
"horses are probably the second-most expensive interest to have."
Azara's husband also works as a corporate
pilot. They sometimes go for weeks without
seeing each other because of their individual schedules. But being a two-pilot family
also has its benefits. "I love flying with my
husband," Azara said. Which is a good thing,
because if either of their missions require
a co-pilot, they are able to hire each other.
"Danny is an excellent pilot and we really
enjoy flying together," Azara said. But she'll
be the one driving to the airport.
AOPA
EMAIL sylvia.horne@aopa.org
www.aopa.org/pilot AOPA PILOT | T-25

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AOPA Turbine Pilot Magazine - August 2017

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