Final Post for ENGL 201

This semester was very long and I am extremely happy it is over. Now I can finally concentrate on my job and be 100% dedicated. I receive my first two students on Tuesday, which makes me say to myself "its really happening." I never thought these four years would end as quickly as they began, but they did. Advice: Don't take advantage of you time here in college, study hard and play just as hard. College is a lot of work, but it won't be worth the memories if you don't let yourself have fun. Make good friends and hold onto them, these are the one's that will be your bridesmaids/groomsmen. Good luck.

Counting down the days...

Senior ball is Friday and graduation is right around the corner. Every time I think of that I get a knot in my throat. I always thought I would be very excited about this day, but I am so scared! I am going to miss my friends terribly and college-life. Although I am sad that I have to graduate, I am very happy I already have my job lined up, not many of my classmates can say that!

Good News!

Thursday, I completed my training required by the flight school to be standardized an able to take on students. I should be expecting to get students within the next few weeks. I am very nervous though, this will be the first time the knowledge I hold will significantly affect someone else. I know I am capable of doing a good job I will just have to see it for myself until I am confident.
School is almost over and graduation is approaching. Soon my entire life will be revolving around my students and the flight training center. Welcome to the real world Amanda.

Whoops!

I had this post typed but it was somehow saved as a draft and I didn't notice until today :-(

The Grand Opening was such a success. Many people came to visit and see the training facilities. There were a lot of companies there, such as, Cape Air, Maine Aviation, and New England Helicopter Academy. The Coast Guard was also there which was very exciting. They hold a lot of opportunities for the students they recruit. There were a lot of large aircraft there and the interesting part of the entire day was that all the aircraft's there were flown in by BSC alumni. There was also the ribbon cutting ceremony which had speeches from a couple well known political figures: Dana Mohler-Faria, Barney Frank, and Scott Lang. I must be honest though, it was quite boring!! But once the ceremony was over all the Flight Instructors scrambled to get out planes out and take the Board of Trustees out for flights. Overall the day was a lot of fun. I hope we get the chance to hold an event like this again.

Grand Opening!

The BSC Aviation Training Center is holding its Grand Opening this Thursday (even though we have been operating since January). There will bean Open House open to the public, an expo, as well as an invite only Presidential Ribbon Cutting Ceremony. Many companies that have a flight center will be present with their aircraft's and willing to answer questions. This is very exciting and if anyone is interested in attending feel free to contact me at my email address available on Bb.
I will be working around the center with either parking, aircraft parking, or just keeping an eye out on the grounds. I am excited to see the turnout and network with the companies for the possibility of a future employment opportunity.

Boring week..

Nothing special happened this past week. A lot of timely assignments were due and I was only able to be at the airport two days this week. I am very excited to increase my hours. I recieved mmy official membership card for WAI (Women in Aviation) which is exciting. It gives me many benefits including discounts at Hertz, which is cool. I also applied for a scholarship. I am hoping to recieve the funds to further my aviation experience and pursue a more advanced certificate.

Shhhh...

This week my boss brought forward an idea he has for me in the near future. It would be a very demanding position, one that I will need to think a lot about. I am not allowed to tell anyone of it because he needs to go through HR to create the position, so I will try to keep what I say very general.



This position would be given to me because I am the only woman and it is one that would be good for the woman pilot to hold because it is such a male dominated environment. He needs a strong woman who is good at what she does and he thinks I would be good at this role! So exciting! This would bother the Flight Instructor who had been working there a month before I was hired because I am still the rookie. This would ultimately lead to the usual banter about how everything in this career is made easier for a woman. Which is not true by any means. They were always just jealous that a woman could fly just as well as they could ;-). Although this situation is different because I was in fact given the opportunity because I am a woman, but I wouldn't be offered it if my boss didn't think I was fully capable and qualified. Very exciting.



An update on the Air Race Classic: I had submitted the final spreadsheet to my boss and he confided in one of the Aviation Professor so get her support in the matter. We also found out there is very limited funds remaining in the Aviation Department, which may lead to approaching someone of a higher ranking at the college.



We'll see how it goes...

Air Race Classic

Each year women pilots trek around the country and no, not on foot, no, not by car, yes, by plane. Two or three women hop into their small airplane and join many other women from around the country on a three day adventure. I have always wanted to take part in this and this year I am truly making an effort. My boss has put me to work looking at all the figures and how much it would cost to send two girl on this expedition. It would be me an one of the students at the Training Center. Unfortunately BSC will not allow us to take one of the College airplane's thus leaving us to join another team of women. I really wish the college would let us take the airplane. It would truly be an amazing experience and beneficial not only to the pilot but the college. This would be major advertising to the college, flying across the country in a plane with our logo in it would bring A LOT of women pilots our way.

It would be a 10 day expedition and a whole lot of fun. Whether I am able to take one of the college's planes or join a team I would be ecstatic to engage in such an experience. The Women's Air Race Classic 2009 starts in Denver, CO then stops at Liberal, KS, Sweetwater, TX, Lufkin, TX, Russellville, AR, Grenada, MS, Sparta, TN, Jacksonville, IL, Racine, WI, and finally comes to a close at Atlantic, IA. The women must travel to all the cities and finish within three days. This could be an amazing experience for me and one of the BSC Aviation women students and I truly hope it is approved by BSC. Wish me luck!

Its Not as Bad as I Thought...

Phew!! The guys at work accepted me real quick. Friday afternoon we were all sitting around talking like we had been friends for a while. At that point I knew everything would be 'ok'. I am very excited to be there more often. The atmosphere is very relaxed and welcoming.

My other job is as a waitress at a local Italian restaurant in Westboro, MA. I thought I would tell you this because it is the complete opposite of my job as a flight instructor. The entire waitstaff are women, therefore I am constantly surrounded by the same gender which is what I have become accustomed to over the past two years. It is a very different atmosphere. I have never been one to get in with a clique. It's not my type of thing. When working at the restaurant there is a clique and it is very annoying, but because i have been around long enough i brush it off and don't get involved. The first few months I worked at the restaurant I felt like the 'outcast', it took a long time to feel accepted. After two years I am accepted, but not interested in getting involved with the clique. At my job in New Bedford, MA as a Flight Instructor I felt welcomed after one week! This brings me to the conclusion, girls will be girls and guys will be guys. Girls will always have their cliques and guys don't even bother to form such groups. I enjoy the change in atmosphere from one job to the next and it also lets me analyze how different the two genders do behave.

My Instructor....A Woman?

Imagine walking into a flight school and noticing the majority of students and instructors are male. Now imagine walking into that flight school as a fellow male student ready to meet your instructor, then you see a woman that is a five foot four blonde, what do you think your first thought would be. Mine would definately be that is MY instructor??? When you think flight instructor you think male, there's no doubt about it.

This is the image that I am now fighting. I will soon be assigned my students and I know what their reaction will be, and it is not comforting knowing what each will be thinking. Is she really a pilot? There's no way she will teach me the right way? Does she even know how to fly? I want a new instructor.

I know that no matter what I do not need to prove to anyone that I am a good flight instructor. I have the license and thats all that matters. I have the training. I have the knowledge. No one can doubt me or my skills. This will definately be a hard image to fight, but I am armed and ready for the battle.

I Got The Job :-)

The interview was Tuesday and it went very well. I printed hard copies of my resume, cover letter, and references and picked out the most professional outfit I owned. The night before I kept telling myself there is no way he will take me for anything BUT professional.

I arrive at the Training Center 45 minutes early (because of the snow) and wait until 3:00. Loren was just how I had remembered, very calm and he knew what he was talking about. We sat in his office and talked for an hour and a half about his reasons for bringing me in for the interview, his plans for the Flight School, and what he hoped to gain out of the interview. Immediately, he told me that I was in there for a reason and he knew the type of person I was and that I would be a good addition to the school.

He definitely treated me like every other person who walked through the doors to the school, and it never seemed to make him wonder if I could cut it in a man's profession.

I emailed him after the interview with my availability and today he informed me that I have the job! I am currently waiting to find out when I start my training. Hopefully soon! This is a very exciting opportunity for me and gives me hope for my future in this industry.

An Opportunity

This week is a new week. Me, the newly Certified Flight Instructor, has an interview on Tuesday with Bridgewater Flight School. I am very excited. It was the first flight school I contacted after recieving my license. Loren Herren, the Chief Flight Instructor, informed me that all available positions had been filled, but would still like to meet with me. Why would he still want to interview me when he has no positions? This gives me some optimism. Maybe he will hire me afterall. I will keep my fingers crossed.

I have known Loren since my freshman year here at BSC. He was also the Chief Flight Instructor of Delta Connection Academy, which was the previous flight school associated with BSC. When they left I lost contact with Loren. He was always very interested in the progress of the students at the academy and was constantly in contact with my parents informing them of my achievements. Due to the fact that I have known Loren I also have some hope that he may give me the next available position at the flight school. I will update the blog next week after the interview. Here are some questions I will answer in the following blog.

Will Loren treat me as an equal? Just as a treats the other men he has hired?

There are no women currently hired at the flight school. Is this the reason he is interested in giving me an interview? To make the work environment more diverse?

Let me know your opinion. How do you think Loren treat me? (Loren is a male) What are the consequences if he does not treat me as an equal?

It's just the begining. . .

Hi, my name is Amanda. I am a senior at Bridgewater State College. I am graduating in May with a degree in Aviation Flight Training and Aviation Management. This past friday I became a Certified Flight Instructor and have been apart of the "Aviation World" for nearly the past 4 years. I am in the process of applying to flight schools in the Northeast hoping to find a job as a flight instructor.

I never thought it would be so hard to participate in a male dominated major, but it is. At first i was able to hang with the guys and keep up with their flight training pace or even complete my ratings before them. I soon noticed that they were very competitive and would bicker about who is the better pilot. Today I have been able to overlook their high ego's, but that does not mean it does not bother me. Life is hard when everything is a competition. My question for them is, why does it matter who is the better pilot? In the end does it really matter? Will the pilot with the high ego, lacking people skills, and the ability to relate with other pilots get a job over another pilot with mediocre piloting skills, immaculate people skills, and with the ability to easily relate to all of his/her co workers?

Let me know what you, my reader, think.