Women of Aviation Worldwide by

By Ramona Reynolds

Iwas invited to speak along with fellow VFC community member, Jessica James, on March 12 at the Fly It Forward event for Women of Aviation Worldwide hosted at Glacier Air in Squamish.

We enjoyed powerful speakers that included Angela Mourar whose career has taken her across Europe, West Asia, North Africa and the Gulf. She now manages operations for a Gulfstream in Austria. And Katie Coley who did her training on the Sunshine Coast, training on

floats and tailwheel, and has worked in sightseeing, northern float operations and is now flying for a regional airline.

I know that Jessica will be sharing her own experience but part of the challenge for me of preparing to speak with all of these young women and girls was to tell them them truth without freaking them out. So my intention was actually not to tell them about the exciting world of sitting on a board, or holding the position of accountable executive, or managing a flight training unit and aircraft maintenance organization, regulatory issues, or even being the first woman to ever hold those positions at the Victoria Flying Club. I didn’t even talk to them about flying, I was there to talk to them about having full ownership of their own experience. I was very clear with my intention of the influence I wanted to have; and that had everything to do with empowering the next generation by telling them what nobody ever says out loud.

I wasn’t there to tell my story; and in fact, I didn’t tell my story. I was there to use my own unique understanding and experience to expand their ideas of what was available to them.

What I wanted them to take with them were these points:

1) All of us belong to an incredibly supportive community full of consistent active leaders, willing and able to show you the way.

To that end, appreciation to Colette Morin, the owner of Glacier Air, and Madeline for organizing this event.

And also thank you to the BC Coast 99s, because, they are true examples of a supportive group of women who are really committed to their community. I've been watching and learning from them since 2009 and they always show up. They are consistent and that’s important. 2) You know how to feel and be fully empowered in your own experience.

The reason I want to walk these women through this experience, is because part of being a woman in aviation is that there's are a lot of people who don’t feel shy about telling us what our experiences are. They will tell you how it’s going to go for you and what you are experiencing. They're gonna tell you how you feel about things. It’s important be confident in yourself.

Women of Aviation Worldwide 4) You have options – lots of them.

We had a pilot shortage before the pandemic, we have a pilot shortage now. We had a labour shortage before the pandemic, we have a labour shortage now. In some cases, if you don't fill that position, nobody is going to. Let that sink in.

3) You are valuable. I am talking about money so start asking for what you are worth. 5) The sky is not the limit – it’s just the beginning.

Watching Jessica James speak at this event was so moving. We have all been watching her grow for the last ten years. To know that her first instructor told her that it took girls longer to learn to fly, that it was harder for girls, and then reinforced that belief, only makes me more proud of her abilities and accomplishments.

To know she has a platform to discount that belief is good. To know that this is just the beginning for her is even better. Her whole life has opened up, yet she remains a person of integrity who we can all be proud to know. I know we will all keep supporting her by watching “Lost Car Rescue” but also by supporting her future initiatives because that woman really is a rising star – not because of TV - because that’s who she is.

What I see consistently, literally 100% of the time, is that women always ask for less money. Whether in aviation, law or whatever agency I'm recruiting for, I always see it. Quit doing that.

I'm not talking about comparing you to your male counterparts, I'm talking about always asking for less. If you are going into a job in aviation, make sure you talk to all the people around you, both the women and the men. Do some market research for the actual position. Do your homework just like you would with any job you're going to apply for. Just know that walking in the door, if you're qualified to do the job, you are equally as valuable as everybody else who walks in that door.

Whether you want to be a pilot, aircraft maintenance engineer, air traffic controller, regulator, or you are interested in the military, airport operations, maintenance or management – now’s the perfect time. This market is magic so decide, plan and execute!

You know, I was asked to speak at this event to inspire young women in aviation and I came away completely inspired by them. In my own experiences, I’ve had plenty of people betting against me. With those young women, I wanted to be the person who is betting on them. My hope is that they can be confident that we will all show up for them. That they can be fully empowered in their own experience and speak their truth to the fullest.

I thought I was going in as the teacher here but, in fact, I was the student. It gave me time to reflect on how important my mentors in aviation have been for me. It was truly a privilege to be part of an experience that encouraged these young women to fly.

All photos are used with permission from Ramona Reynolds, Colette Morin and Michaela C. Photography (michaelacphotography.ca).