I am currently the happiest I’ve ever been in my life. I have been content and fulfilled and unbelievably satisfied to be sitting on my back porch all sunny day, in Western Washington, working diligently on my passion project. It’s something that gets my fourth-priority attention, after my relationships (including myself), and my two other ‘real’ jobs. However, that doesn’t mean I don’t work hard at it when I do work at it, and the reality is just around the corner this June so fourth priority is getting some extra time right now. On the 26th of June at Texas State University, for five days, 14 young female faces will be, hopefully intently, staring up at me and several other wonderfully qualified professional women pilots as we attempt to transform their ideas about gender roles in aviation and inspire them to ‘takeoff’ into their futures. We are going to use fun hands-on activities and other educational techniques to create an engaging, challenging and empowering camp focused on STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Math) through the lens of what we know best, aviation. We hope to inspire, as we have been inspired, and to create a meaningful experience for these young ladies that will embolden them….
What prompted this? Do you recall any of my blogs about my spirit trip to Colombia and Panama circa 2015? If you recall that time frame you’ll remember that I travelled with one Elizabeth “Liz” Duca, a great friend and a fellow Air Force veteran pilot. In her little idea-land on her four-month escapade of South and Central America, she gave attention to an idea that just wouldn’t go away; how to make a difference moving forward in our new life chapters. For her, that meant starting a summer flight camp for girls in attempt to take action towards rectifying the dismal percentage of female pilots and being an inspiration to the next generation, as others had been to her. Fewer than 7% of FAA certified pilots are female, with less than 5% female commercial airline pilots being female. We all know by now it’s certainly not a lack of skill, but of interest and exposure enter certain male-dominated career fields.
We reasoned based on our serendipitously fated paths into aviation that it took exposure, and some mentors and positive (often female) role models to just make us think it was possible, then we did it. N = 2 at this point of the conversation, but we knew very well that this was the case for many of our close friends as well. They may not have even considered aviation until they’d entered the military, and they may have really noticed when they were able to fly with another female. We knew that we’d be able to build a great team to start off with, and get support from even more. During that trip, on a (very tumbly) sail boat from Cartegena, Colombia to San Blas Islands, Panama Elizabeth and I dreamt up the idea of PreFlight Aviation Camp, on a napkin, in the Caribbean.
The next summer, after much planning and red-tape hurdling, the inaugural PreFlight Aviation Camp happened triumphantly at Texas State University in San Marcos, Texas. We relied on friends and family for support, donations, ideas, supplies, vehicles, you name it. Liz funneled an incredible amount of effort and funding into the project, and we did too, despite new airline jobs, Air Force Reserve jobs, families, and other life obligations. We all knew this was something important, and we all knew we wanted to contribute to the next generation. Designed in honor of the Women Air Force Service Pilots (WASPS) of World War II, who stepped up and paved the way for women pilots and showed us what real sisterhood was, we too bonded together as an (underrepresented population) and chose to take on what we knew was a problem with what we believe can be a solution.
In the summer of 2016, after all that work, we had four campers. Even though he counselors happened to outnumber the campers that summer, we decided to go forward and give those four campers the best darn summer camp on aviation for girls that we could. We had a blast, and so far, we think we even made an impact. In 2017 life took priority for many of us! Careers blossomed, families moved states, and PreFlight Aviation Camp didn’t have many campers signed up! However, an opportunity presented itself to Elizabeth in the form of a business accelerator program called AeroInnovate. AeroInnovate offered an 8-week, focused business development program to help hone PreFlight’s plan and strategy, culminating in a week-long booth at EAA Airventure in Osh Kosh, Wisconsion, the premiere airshow and aviation event in the world. PreFlight was AeroInnovate’s first non-profit participant. This booth represented a marketing opportunity extraordinaire, and a chance to network, pitch to sponsors, and (recommit) to PreFlight. It was fantastic, and the team assembled again and made a new plan, towards 2018!
In the year since EAA Airventure, PreFlight has hit the ground running with outreach programs, fundraising, newsletters, social media presence, publications, podcasts, partnerships, press releases, marketing, and to top it all off we were awarded 501(c)3 non-profit tax exempt status! These accomplishments led to more than tripling of attendance for our 2018 camp. Our team has faced some sudden and unexpected adversity to be sure, with dynamic lives but we work in a dynamic industry, and we are well adapted to adapting! On June 26th, 2018, we reach deep into our hearts and our minds to bring these 14 shiny young women an opportunity to be inspired into a life of no limits. If they can be told they can do anything, by those who know they can do anything, we know they will launch into wherever their interests lie, without hesitation, bravely.
I am the happiest I’ve ever been in my life; personally, professionally and philanthropically. This must be some sort of perfect recipe for happiness.
Happy for you! 🙂