YES SHE CAN

OVERCOMING ADVERSITY IN THE NEW DOCUSERIES, TOUCH THE SKY.

Did you know that only five per cent of pilots are female, and that only 1.4% of captains are female? Just let that sink in...

Traditionally a male-dominated field, starting off (and staying) in the aviation industry is often a turbulent experience for females. There are many factors that contribute to this sometimes-challenging environment, including gender stereotypes, workplace culture and unconscious bias – that is, the attitudes or stereotypes that people hold unconsciously which can affect their behaviour and decision-making.

These biases are often based on societal and cultural messages that we are exposed to from an early age. A by-product of all of these factors is a lack of representation of women in the aviation industry, and it’s a self-fulfilling prophecy; If women are underrepresented in aviation, this leads to a lack of role models and mentors for others who are interested in pursuing careers.

If you ask any female in aviation how their career journey has been so far, almost all of them will have a story to tell of self-doubt, unique situations, sexism and a struggle for equality. Some of them have persisted fearlessly, despite the abrasive nature of feeling out of place.

Touch the Sky is an eight-part docuseries that aims to bring these issues into the spotlight as they follow and celebrate women in aviation from different backgrounds. Some of these women are just learning, others are much further along in their careers. But all of them have a common goal – they all want to encourage more females to enter the industry. These strong women are from all walks of life: mothers, daughters, influencers and refugees, who share what it takes to overcome different types of adversity as they take to the skies.

The series also focuses on the power of overcoming issues such as fear, guilt, workplace harassment and bullying. The fact is, these are hurdles that women can regularly face, but are things they shouldn’t have to experience as ‘the norm’.

The docuseries trailer on YouTube shows a sneak peek of the women in action, capturing their ups and downs, their wins and their losses. Without giving too much away, the series is bound to tug at heart strings and provide a rare insight into what these women are thinking and feeling as they face different challenges along the way. Apart from the raw emotion and candid dialogue, one thing is clear – the sheer determination and strength of these women is sky-high.

Bringing The Idea To Life

Michael Monck, CEO of lockr.aero saw an opportunity to make a difference in the sector and rallied a group of like-minded individuals and business owners, in the aviation, space to do something about the lack of women in aviation.

Touch the Sky is produced by the talented team of Nora and Red Dog Productions. Both the Director and Producer have their own origin stories in the aviation world and have brought their own love of flying to this inspiring series. As a teenager, Producer Bridget May, was in the air cadets but was unable to continue as her dyslexia became a struggle, so she stopped. “Struggling with learning issues and being the only female in the group with teenage boys was note enjoyable,” she said. “So many people I have spoken to about this project are surprised around the percentage of women who are pilots, but then just accept it, nothing around ‘why?’. I hope by making this series, it will get people to think more on those soft barriers and support the young people and women, hurdle any barrier they might have.”

Director, Stephen Limkin learnt to fly seven years ago to overcome his fear of turbulence. He loved the experience so much that he became an instructor. “At first, I was blind to the imbalance, but then I began to notice that roughly 95% of the students were males. With each theory class of roughly 20-25 students, one maybe two were women,” said Stephen.

“I’ve come to realise that there are a lot of soft barriers that are stopping women from pursuing their dreams. I hope that the stories of these eight women will inspire more women, who may not have considered aviation as a career or for fun, to engage with aviation and allow their dreams to take flight.”

Meet The Women

Each episode of the eight-part series focuses on a different woman’s story and how they overcome obstacles along the way to achieve their goals.