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?