In this episode of "Chicks Who Fly,”Inaia has an inspiring conversation with Jen Shull, a pilot whose chance encounter dramatically altered Inaia’s career path. Inaia recounts how driving for a rideshare company led to meeting Jenn, a newly minted Part 135 pilot braving LA traffic. Their conversation ignited a love for aviation in Inaia, who followed Jenn’s advice to become a pilot and ground instructor.

Jenn shares her own non-linear journey into aviation, highlighting her tech job background, Air Force experience, and initial dabbling in flying for fun. The conversation delves into her transition from enjoying general aviation (GA) to becoming a professional pilot, discussing her experiences with Part 135 operations and eventual move to a Part 121 major airline.

Jenn offers valuable insights into the aviation world, discussing hurdles like the complexity of flight systems, the challenges of commuting, and the importance of community within smaller operations. She emphasizes the transformative power of aviation milestones and talks about the sense of connection when flying passengers on pivotal life journeys. Inaia shares a bit about her experience working at her previous Part 121 cargo airline and how she rode in the flight deck of a 767 to rescue a dog in Puerto Rico.

Jen offers advice for aspiring pilots: get a medical certificate first, ensure a good fit with your flight instructor, soak in the wisdom of experienced pilots, and never quit even when facing tough challenges. 

In this episode of 'Chicks Who Fly,' we celebrate the stories of women pilots and their passion for aviation. Our guest, Jamie Yamamoto Swanson, shares her inspirational journey to becoming a private pilot, overcoming challenges, and balancing her roles as a mother, teacher, and beauty enthusiast. Jamie recounts her memorable first passenger flight with her father and emphasizes the importance of persistence, community support, and embracing failure. We also discuss the dynamics of flying with a supportive spouse who is also a pilot and dive into Jamie's unique experiences and insights in aviation. Tune in for an uplifting conversation that will motivate aspiring pilots to pursue their dreams. Don't forget to access our free PDF for aspiring FAA certificated ground instructors and subscribe to our podcast for more inspiring stories.

Inaia is a full-time Ground Instructor at a part 121 cargo airline despite the fact that she’s a low-time private pilot with her Advanced Ground Instructor and Instrument Ground Instructor ratings from the FAA. In this Episode of Chicks Who Fly, Inaia shares how she got a job at at part 121 carrier, what the benefits are of getting her ground instructor ratings despite the fact that she was told getting these ratings would be a waste of time and some of the insights she has gained as she teaches ground school to pilots who are thousands of times more experienced than she is.Inaia is a full-time Ground Instructor at a part 121 cargo airline despite the fact that she’s a low-time private pilot with her Advanced Ground Instructor and Instrument Ground Instructor ratings from the FAA. In this Episode of Chicks Who Fly, Inaia shares how she got a job at at part 121 carrier, what the benefits are of getting her ground instructor ratings despite the fact that she was told getting these ratings would be a waste of time and some of the insights she has gained as she teaches ground school to pilots who are thousands of times more experienced than she is.

Today I share how I became a pilot and what took me so long. I share the story of my first solo and of my private pilot checkride. I talk about the things I’ve been doing since I became a pilot to keep developing my skills and to grow as a safe and competent pilot flying in the real world. I also share some of my plans to travel in my sailboat and continue my flight training.

In this episode of Chicks Who Fly, I get to have a conversation with Memphis-based retired FedEx Captain, Patricia Kessler.

Patricia was first exposed to aviation when she married a man who had always wanted to take flying lessons and she sat in the back seat during a lesson. That sparked her love for flying. Patricia soon got a job w the Dept of Defense, joined the Army Reserves and applied to a reserve squadron at McGuire Air Force base and joined a military flying club near Philadelphia where she began her pilot training. After her time in the military, Patricia flew for People Express Airlines, and when they were bought out by Continental Airlines, she moved on to Fed Ex, where she would become a Captain and stay for 25 years.

This lady has flown all over the world and we get to talk old-school flying stories, challenging approaches, challenging aircraft, favorite places she’s seen in the world, cool airports, flying unusual cargo, insane airline policies that they could never get away with in this day and age, how she landed the job at FedEx and so so many great, fun, surprising and entertaining stories of flying and life. Don’t miss this interview with this awesome lady!

In this 6th episode of season 2 of Chicks Who Fly, I get to have a conversation with private pilot, working on her instrument rating, Robin Hollinger. After working 5 or 6 different jobs, Robin pivoted and decided to pursue a career in aviation. The idea to start flight training was sparked by her younger brother wanting to start flight training. Robin went on to haver her discovery flight at 30 after a career counselor helped her get clear on what she wanted for herself. The counselor also helped set Robin up to pursue her flying goals.

Robin started flying in Wisconsin. Eventually, she asked her employer if they would let her work remotely so she could do her flight training. Her employer said yes and Robin moved to Florida where after completing her private pilot certificate. Florida is where Robin is currently working on her instrument rating.

In this episode, we get to chat about the challenges of flying in the extreme cold weather such as having to wait for the temperature to WARM UP to -10 F to be able to start the plane. Robin shares about the challenges of fine tuning maneuvers to be within ACS standards.

We also talk about how Robin soloed in winter in Wisconsin. And how she gained confidence after first solo.

Robin talks about how she found herself super challenged by radio communications. Shares some of the funny mistakes she’s made on radio calls. We talk about how practicing emergency checklists gave her confidence and about what her check ride was like , the challenges of instrument training, the discouraging moments she had in flight training and how she moved past them.

This and more in this episode of Chicks Who Fly.

Growing up, Lindsay was considering becoming a military pilot until she found out that her peanut allergy was a medical disqualifying factor.

So she applied for and received a scholarship to get her private in one summer and then went off to train at Embry Riddle, where she finished all her training in an impressive 2 1/2 years by staying on campus every summer and holiday season to work on her flight training. Lindsay shares about the things she did to maximize her flight training and save money while quickly moving towards her goal. We also get to talk about how Lindsay had to overcome a terrible propensity towards airsickness, as she got sick on her discovery flight and continued to struggle with that during her flight training.

Lindsay graduated from Embry Riddle right when COVID was hitting and her school put a pause on hiring instructors. Not only did Lindsay manage to find a jb as a flight instructor, but by the time Lindsay was close to getting her hours, she landed a job with a part 135 charter airline and is now a first officer working on her captain upgrade.

In this fourth episode of season two of Chicks Who Fly, I get to have a conversation with Part 135 Corporate pilot flying a PC-12 in the Caribbean, who was born and raised in Rio, Brazil, Debbie Nascimento.

Debbie is a first generation aviator who became a flight attendant at 20. While working in the airline, she used to go into the cockpit and ask the pilots questions about what they were doing, how to fly the airplane and how to go about getting her certificates and ratings. She decided to take out a loan so that she could do her training quickly.

Debbie did her entire training part 61 in the insanely busy NYC airspace, while working full time as a flight attendant and she ended up getting ALL her certificates and ratings in an astonishing one year and three month period -private, instrument, commercial, commercial multi-engine, w seaplane, CFI, CFII, AGI, tail wheel endorsement and then went on to get her high performance, high altitude. Debbie is also one of the only 200-300 pilots in the world qualified to fly into St Barths.

During her training, one of the things she struggled with, was a fear of stalls and feeling uncomfortable with steep turns but she found the instrument, her easiest and most fun rating, which is what most people call their most difficult and boring. We talk about the mental shift she made, that had her see her instrument rating from that perspective.

At the time of this interview, Debbie was getting ready to go to her first assigned base in San Juan, Puerto Rico.

In today’s episode of Chicks Who Fly, I get to have a conversation with Liz Booker, Retired Coast Guard Helicopter pilot now an author, of two books for young adults, that feature young women learning to fly. Liz now runs a book club, Aviatrix Book Club, where people get together and discuss books they read that feature women in aviation. Liz interviews the authors and releases those interviews on her Aviatrix Book Review Podcast. Liz also runs a club called Aviatrix Writer’s Group, where authors and aspiring authors support each other in their projects. Inspired by the space program, Liz knew she wanted to be a pilot since she was 5 yrs old. Liz had her first flight lessons in a turboprop in the coast guard in Pensacola and moved on to helicopters, where she had to hover the helicopter on her 4th lesson! Military flight training also meant that she was taught spin recovery and aerobatics very early on in training. From boot camp, doing dirty jobs to learning to fly in a turboprop, the Coast Guard was quite a ride. Liz and I talk about the challenge that memorization posed for her while doing her flight training in the military, all while having her first child. We talk about the day she got to do a low pass over the runway at the airport at NASA’s facility in Cape Canaveral, we discuss the crazy drills she had to do in airplanes and underwater, our propensities for seasickness vs air sickness, some of her missions with the coast guard, which included landing on the back of ships, rescuing people from sinking ships, searching for lost divers and even rescuing a stranded surfer in the middle of the night.

Santa Fe-based Flight Instructor (and MY flight instructor), Kristi Mc Fadden and I discuss common student pilot and new pilot challenges and how to approach and overcome them, how to master landings and how to handle those common issues that students face. We also discuss the problems of flying during a pandemic, the cool experimental aircraft that I saw at our marina and more.

In today’s episode, I get to have a chat with Christine Hannon of One Plane Jane. As a kid, Christine used to take walks with her grandfather to KAIY, Bader Field, in Atlantic City, pushing her favorite baby doll in its pink stroller. Together, they would watch the planes take off and land. Christine’s parents told her she could do anything. But she never got the idea to become a pilot until a bit later in her life.

Christine started out in the aviation industry as a ramp agent. A big part of the reason she took the job was because of the travel benefits but she grew to love the company and the aviation industry. While applying for a leadership position in her job, a friend recommended she learn to fly, and off she went.

Today, Christine is an instrument-rated Private Pilot, working on her Commercial Certificate. She lives in Madrid, Spain with her husband. She owns and runs One Plane Jane, a company that creates products to empower women, inspired by female aviators. Christine believes that it is our responsibility to show little girls they can be pilots and to celebrate not just what each woman does, but who she is and what she is capable of.

In today’s conversation, Christine and I talk about how she met her CFI, what her training was like & about her life in Madrid. We talk about her future aviation goals, her company, One Plane Jane, the life lessons and discipline that aviation gives you, using aviation to make a difference in the community and much more.

This was a fun, informative and inspiring conversation with a cool and badass pilot, adventurer & entrepreneur that I hope you enjoy as much as I did.

You can connect with Christine on IG , Facebook or on her website.

Theme music by Diego Jinkus.

Photos courtesy of One Plane Jane.

Check us out at: https://www.patreon.com/chickswhofly

In this 16th episode of Chicks Who Fly, I get to have a conversation with Pilot Annie, a Private Pilot out of Collingwood, Ontario working toward her Commercial License. She volunteers for many different organizations and also writes as a columnist and feature writer for COPA and Wings Magazine. She is on the Board of Directors for The Northern Lights Aero Foundation and a proud First Canadian Chapter Ninety-Nine.

In today’s conversation, we talk about the detours and scenic routes taken in her pilot training despite falling in love with aviation early on. We talk about online ground school training versus in-person ground school, the differences in training in Canada versus the US, the challenges and highlights of flight training, her love of adventure flying and bush flying, being in a relationship with another pilot and much more.

Aubrey Warrick is ATP Rated on the Falcon 10, 50 and 900, Lear Jet and SIngle pilot-rated on the Citation 500 series Jets. She is also the founder of CollectingCopilots.com, a platform for your aviation, travel and lifestyle needs. Aubrey is a graduate of Eastern Michigan University with a Bachelors in Aviation Flight Technology and currently Manages and flies for her Part 91 company, AubreyAire out of East Texas.

In today’s conversation, Aubrey and I get to talk about her passionate love story with aviation. From the moment she fell in love with flying as a young child, in a family where no one else is a pilot, to the emergency landing in Longview, Texas that started a whole new life for her in aviation and in love, and where she remains 9 years later.

Aubrey is charming, tenacious, badass and smart. She generously shares her knowledge and support with others, especially, women in aviation. These qualities are what make this conversation so inspiring and motivating to me.

In today’s 14th episode of Chicks Who Fly, I get to have a conversation with Sammi McQ. Sammi is a Private Pilot with an Instrument Rating, who started flying while she was in high school, shortly after her dad accidentally purchased an airplane. Sammi is currently working on her Commercial Certificate.

In this conversation, Sammi and I discuss the challenges she faced during her instrument training, the impact of an incompatible flight instructor on her training process, the cool way she learned to always hit her wake when performing steep turns, her aviation bucket list and taking the FAA written exam in the midst of pandemic-related closures. We compare her experience at a Part 61 vs Part 141 flight school and Sammi also shares her experience volunteering at an event where little girls were being taken up for their their first flight.

I have a chat with pilot, hair stylist, salon owner and host of the Cockpits and Cocktails podcast, Allyssa VanMeter, a.k.a. Fly Allyssa.

Allyssa was bit by the aviation bug when she took a helicopter tour of Hawaii during a vacation there. Alyssa is currently using her COVID-19 quarantine time to study for her instrument rating. In our conversation, we address the challenges of flight training, the extraordinary pride she felt when she passed her check ride, the surprising perspective that aviation gives her in flight and in life, personal minimums, time management, the wonderful aviation community, finding opportunities in unexpected setbacks and the importance of priorities. Allyssa also shares some of her aviation story and anecdotes, including that one time she stayed overnight in the FBO.