The Legacy of Aviation

By Michelle Tripp

I feel like I have been pursuing my aviation career since the late 1990s when I told my kindergarten class, I was going to fly a spaceship and be a pilot like my dad. My dad is a first-generation pilot. His aviation career started in the 1970s as an Army helicopter pilot. Then, in the 1980s, he graduated from San Jose State which led to his 25-year airline career shortly after getting his bachelor’s degree.

During middle school and high school, there were many times when my peers would tell me that women are not pilots. Women are flight attendants, or they work the ticket counters, but they are not pilots, I was told. Unfortunately, unfounded statements like these can be a deterrent to girls and women who want to enter STEM fields like aviation. But to be honest, I did not let these ridiculous comments phase me because if my dad can fly a plane and a helicopter, why couldn’t I?

Growing up, my parents did all they could to keep my love of aviation alive. They took me to air shows, aviation/aerospace museums, and most importantly, they encouraged me to join Civil Air Patrol. Participating in Civil Air Patrol was the encouragement I needed to study aviation in college.

There were several aviation universities across the country I was looking at after high school; however, most of those options were expensive, private, and out-of-state. Due to its affordability, I followed in my dad’s footsteps and attended San Jose State’s Aviation program. While he and I did not share the same career path after San Jose State, we share having successful careers and a lifelong appreciation of aviation.

There are many others, like my dad, who are retiring from their aviation careers, which means that the industry needs new people to replace their aging workforce. You could spend a lifetime working in the aviation industry because there are so many career paths and options that a person can take. Furthermore, with the UAS (unmanned aircraft systems/drones) and electric aviation industry on the horizon, there are more careers and opportunities than ever for those who want to work in the aviation industry.

When I look back on how aviation has affected my family, I have learned that you do not have to come from an aviation family to inspire the next generation of aviators.

Michelle Tripp is a graduate student at San Jose State University. She is currently pursuing a master’s degree in Human Factors and Ergonomics and has a Bachelor of Science in Aviation from San Jose State. From her humble beginnings as a cadet in Civil Air Patrol, Michelle now works in Airside Operations at the San Francisco International Airport. In her spare time, she volunteers for a few aviation non-profits, mentors San Jose State Aviation students looking to have successful careers in the aviation industry. Additionally, she encourages other girls and women to consider aviation and aerospace as viable and successful career paths.