WAI convened in the beautiful Opryland
Hotel in Nashville, Tenn.
"I'm tired of being a minority, and this makes me feel
like I'm not," says Christine Poelma, a flight instructor from Louisville,
Ky., carrying her tow-headed toddler Sophie in her arms. Poelma is checking out
the exhibits in the crowded hall at last week's Women
in Aviation International (WAI) 13th Annual Conference, in Nashville, Tenn.
She's surrounded by women swarming past the booths, some still in college, some
who flew with Amelia Earhart, others in Air Force uniforms, and many with
captain's stripes on their sleeves. "I'm never going to miss this
again," she says. "It's so inspiring." Others may cite the
networking, the careerseminars,
the chance to hand out resumes and schedule interviews. But for many, the real
reason they're here is simpler: to be among others like themselves, for a change
-- other women with a passion for aviation.
This year's event, held at the sprawling Opryland Hotel,
reflected the impact of the profound changes the industry has faced over a short
time. Nearly every speaker talked about the dramatic differences in the pre-9/11
world versus the post-9/11 world. Economically, it's been a rough ride.
Thousands of workers have been furloughed, and those struggling to enter the job
market or to climb the career ladder face formidable obstacles and tough
competition. Yet the upshot, over and over, was upbeat. We've faced tough times
before, was the mantra. Remember Eastern Airlines? Remember when they told you
in grammar school that girls don't fly airplanes? The memories of challenges met
and overcome in the past were recalled again and again as a template for the
future. And it seemed to work. When an audience at one packed session was asked
how many had been furloughed, about two dozen hands came up. When asked how many worried
they might be furloughed, nary a hand
could be seen. Hope and high spirits were the rule.
...To Face Challenging Times...
WAI President Peggy Chabrian addressed the
membership.
But WAI, despite its rapid and continuing membership
growth, couldn't help but feel some impact from the economic squeeze. One of the
organization's most active and celebrated programs is its strong
scholarship awards effort. By last year, the awards total was creeping
toward $1 million. This year the total was down a bit, as donors sent their
regrets and scaled back on their generosity. Nevertheless, some donors were
working right through the 11th hour interviewing applicants, and as happened in
years past, found too many deserving candidates to choose just one, and upped
their offerings. By the conference's end on Friday night, $622,735 in
scholarship awards had been given to 63 women. "I think that's fabulous for
the industry, with the shape it's in this year," said WAI scholarship chair
Mary Ann Eiff. The awards range from $1,000 toward primary flight training, to
type ratings in heavy jets, free dispatcher and maintenance courses, and even a
full four-year's worth of college tuition. Many of the type-rating awards are
followed by job offers once the training is successfully completed.
Attendance and exhibitor numbers held at about the same
level as 2001, with some 3,000 attendees from 10 countries, and 104 exhibitors.
Sponsorships for the event set a record, at a total of 32. And membership
overall continues to grow, with 7,079 signed up and 44 chapters. The goal is to
reach 10,003 members in 2003, and the group seems well on its way to get there.
One distinction of the WAI conference is the diversity of
women to be found there. WAI doesn't focus only on pilots, it works to welcome
all of theaviation industry.
Mechanics, air traffic controllers, flight instructors, engineers, flight
attendants, and anyone with an interest in promoting women in aviation, even
men, are welcome to join. Several scholarships were awarded to members from
India, Turkey, and Canada. The awards went to went to high-school and college
students, older women in the midst of career change, and one went to single
mother who longed to fly but had never found a way to afford it. Her dream was
simply to share her experience of flight with her children.
...Recognizing That Change Is A Constant...
Author and career consultant Cheryl Cage
was among the speakers.
Among the keynote speakers, the changes since September 11
were the recurring theme: economic devastation, new security measures,
retrenching and rebuilding a damaged industry. But everyone struck a note of
hope for a bright future soon to come. "Aviation is on the cusp of another
growth spurt," said Bob Blouin, representing the National Business Aviation
Administration. "Have confidence in your career prospects." EAA's Bob
Warner expressed his organization's hope that the Sport
Pilot proposal will be a revitalizing force for GA. And Col. Kim Olson of
the Air Force reminded those in search of career paths that the military offers
opportunity, training, and "the coolest planes to fly." Cecilia
Hunziker of the FAA, gamely filling in when Transportation Secretary Norman
Mineta sent last-minute regrets, emphasized that every pilot needs to get
involved at her local airport. "We must educate the public about the
benefits of aviation, and restore public confidence," she said. "We
need to be the voice for aviation." But she didn't forget those looking for
work: The new Transportation Security Administration is sure to be hiring, she
said.
The federal government is not the only employer still
looking for workers. At one panel, representatives of six regional airlines all
were in the market for qualified pilots, though admittedly fewer than last year.
At the FedEx Express booth, recruiters said the company will hire 24 pilots this
month, and 32 more in April and May. With such slow growth and so many displaced
workers, though, the selection process has become more competitive than ever.
For those tempted to investigate other options, Major Patricia Brown was looking
for qualified recruits to join the Air Force. "We're looking for people
with a four-year degree and a private pilot license, for active duty," she
said. Responding to the new environment, several seminars offered advice onhow to compete, and how to deal not only with stressful interviews, but
extensive background checks and security protocols.
At the professional seminars, those who offered such
nuts-and-bolts advice about the job market drew crowds. Cheryl Cage, who helps
pilots prepare for their job searches, talked to a chock-full hall about
strategies for careersuccess. Cage
used her personal experience as an example of how to deal with unforeseeable
setbacks. She said her own business dropped by 97 percent in the weeks following
9/11. No pilot hiring was going on, and nobody knew how long it might be, if
ever, before things turned around. She quickly refocused her efforts to
concentrate on helping furloughed pilots, and in six weeks she wrote a book to
help them deal with their situation. Her advice to pilots thinking maybe they
should forget the whole thing: "Give yourself some time. If you are doing
what you really love, you will find a way to do it again. Just don't give up.
... Embrace your setbacks."
...And Searching For Inspiration
Aerobatic pilot extraordinaire Patty
Wagstaff was among the convention floor attractions.
Not all the speakers and seminars focused on
career-building. Inspiration and motivation were to be found as well. At
Thursday's luncheon, husband-and-wife astronauts Rhea Seddon and Hoot Gibson
told how they raised a family together while pursuing demanding careers. Seddon
was among the first group of female astronauts at NASA, in 1979. She flew three
space-shuttle missions and studied the human physiological response to space
flight. Gibson also flew the space shuttle, and guided Atlantis to its first
docking with the Mir space station, in 1995. At Friday's general session, Denise
Waters described her round-the-world trip in a twin Comanche. Waters competed
last year in the London-to-Sydney air race, flew across the Pacific to Oakland,
Calif., then joined the Air Race Classic to return to her starting point in
Ohio. In the exhibit hall, famed aerobatic flyer Patty Wagstaff spent some time
helping to promote WAI's endowment fund and signing copies of her book Fire
and Air.
The parade of scholarship winners was enough to make any
ordinary human feel like an underachiever. One after another, at every luncheon
and meeting and banquet during the three days in Opryland, quick biographies
would summarize why each applicant was chosen.The presenters would describe hardworking, motivated, energetic women,
often struggling against difficult odds. One raised three children alone while
training to be a maintenance technician, others held jobs in aviation while
studying full-time for a college degree and doing volunteer work, another earned
her doctorate degree while getting all of her flight ratings. Time after time,
they accepted their awards with a smile and a handshake, till it seemed almost
routine.
All of that achievement-recognition reached its acme Friday
night when new members were inducted to WAI's Pioneer Hall of Fame. The awards
honor female aviators who are record-setters, pioneers, and innovators, and who
work on behalf of other women in the industry. This year's inductees included
Fiorenza de Bernardi, who became Italy's first female airline pilot when she
went to work for Aeralpi in 1967. She flew Twin Otters, a Yak 40, and DC-8s, in
Europe, Asia, and Africa, and founded an organization for Italian women pilots.
Julie Clark has flown for the airlines for 25 years, and was among the first
U.S. female airline pilots when she started out. She also has flown in airshows
for 22 years, in a 50-year-old military trainer that she restored herself. Doris
Lockness began flying in the 1930s, joined the WASPs, and went on to earn
ratings in aircraft from helicopters to gyroplanes to balloons. A posthumous
award went to Blanch Stuart Scott, the first female test pilot, who flew Martin
prototypes in 1912. The Soviet Airwomen of World War II also were honored.
Despite the unavoidable concern over what the country and
the industry have been through in the last six months, and the wrench tossed
into many career plans, the conference left no question that women will
persevere to reach their goals. The vigor and determination embodied by WAI in
years past remained strong. Next year's conference will be held March 20-22,
2003, in Cincinnati, Ohio.
Gallery
Registration is always the first order of
business at these sorts of gatherings...
...followed soon thereafter by the
welcome party.
The convention is now open...
..and networking can begin in earnest.
From WASPs...
...to Ninety-Nines.
From up-and-coming...
CFI Christine Poelma and Sophie.
...to been there; done that.
Hall of Famer
Fiorenza de Bernardi.
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