Aviation for Women is the flagship member publication of Women in Aviation International. Articles feature women who have made aviation history, professional development ideas, and current-topic articles.
Issue link: https://afwdigital.epubxp.com/i/813603
I N O U R O W N W O R D S 48 Aviation forWomen M A Y / J U N E 2 0 1 7 my mind on flying, even if I am not the one piloting the plane. I am thrilled to be part of an ongoing trend of individuals who cannot only call themselves flight attendants, but pilots as well! I've immersed myself in aviation for more than half of my life, which still blows my mind every time I think about it! My jou r ney has taken me through my ini tial pilot certificates during high school to working at two major jet centers in the Phoenix area, and now I'm working on my commercial multi certificate and work ing full time for American Airlines as a flight attendant and trainer. If you had asked me eight years ago if I knew I was going to have two careers, I would have thought you were crazy, but here I am! We grow up with teachers and mentors ushering us into the direction of our passions early in life. Asking a tomboy who loved ballet, "What do you want to be when you grow up?" typically got you the answer, "I don't know," because I loved to learn. Back when Sea World was foolish enough to allow children to sit on orcas like Shamu, I was given the opportuni ty to be in the show and from that moment on, I was going to be a trainer and oceanographer. Two years later, I was going to be a train conductor. Most of my younger childhood career thoughts were similar to other children's ideas—I wanted to be whatever new job I learned about next. It wasn't until high school, when I signed up to receive more information for flight school at a local air show, that I knew aviation was my true passion. I was given a very im portant role at the flight school: I was the Doughnut Doll. I drove a golf cart around Gillespie Field handing out dough nuts, coffee, and fuel coupons to all of the pilots with open hangars. I received rides in everything you can imagine, but my favorite rides were in my flight school's Cessna 152— N606GS —with my mentor, a private pilot named Gary Hoyt. Gary rented 6GS (and only 6GS) every Wednesday, and we'd take it up for cross country flights to our favorite snack destinations. (Calexico has the best ice cream bars, by the way.) With those week ly flights, I learned the essen tials: navigation, weight and balance, and how to obtain weather briefings. I soloed in 6GS after 12 hours of instruc tion with my flight instruc tor, and with Gary watching from the airport ramp. I was very fortunate that my journey started with an oppor tun it y to show how much I wanted to become a pilot. It cemented my belief that if you work hard, and you are motivated to achieve your goals, the opportunities are endless. At times I could not afford to fly, but I knew I needed to maintain my knowledge, so I co hosted an aviation podcast. Even if I could not get to the airport, I had a cockpit poster on my wall to run through ma neuvers. I knew my head was in the right place when I started to apply for scholarships and started winning them. Any time I have distanced myself from my goals, thinking that they were too unreasonable or that I was past the time to become a professional pilot, something great would happen. The uni verse just refused to let me give this up. So years later, I am sharing my story with you. It's a story that truthfully has just started. Never give up. You are never too young, or too old, to start a new chapter of your life or continue down a path you have always wanted to be on. Too often our self talk tells us to "be realistic" and "get your head out of the clouds," but some times that's exactly where it should be. ✈ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Gabrielle Palmas, WAI 19787, is president of the Phoenix Valley of the Sun Chapter and currently is an American Airlines flight attendant and trainer, and a general aviation pilot. E xcuse me, miss, may I ask what you're reading?"—a common question when I am sitting in a passenger seat on a commer cial airliner. It is not uncommon for flight attendant crews to be re positioned to another base to cover flying, and when we are, we find ourselves with extra time to read or, in my case, study. I always carry a study guide with me on my trips to keep BEING IN THE FRONT AND THE BACK OF THE PL ANE I N O U R O W N W O R D S G A B R I E L L E P A L M A S "