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.

Chat with Ana Carolina Uribe, a private pilot and aviation advocate for young Latina women. Inspired by her father, husband, and son, Ana began flying in her 40s. She shares her journey, challenges like tough landings and educational costs, and highlights her community support and planning. Ana's organization of the Women of Aviation International event earned her the Jefferson Award. Tune in for her inspiring story and advice for aspiring pilots.

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!

Arhynn Descy, is a French/South African composer and pianist who splits her time between London and LA. She has written music for feature films, shorts, documentaries, the stage, for orchestra and a variety of solo instruments. Arhynn is also a private pilot. And she shares how she first fell in love with aviation as an 11-year-old girl when reading a series of books. We talk about the freedom and the thrill she finds in flying, the profound experience of Arhynn’s first solo flight. and about the life-transforming moment in her life that propelled her into her flight training.

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.