4 minute read
Women in Aviation International (WAI) Conference
By LT Samantha "Amber" Hein, USN
When I received an email about an all-expense-paid trip to Orlando, FL from the Navy’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Office, I jumped on it. Who wouldn’t love a free trip to sunny Orlando? It was my first time hearing about the Women in Aviation International (WAI) organization, and being a woman who enjoys aviation, I saw it as a great opportunity to meet other people like me.
WAI is a nonprofit organization that aims at increasing the involvement of women in the aviation sector. Created in 1990, WAI held its first conference that same year in Prescott, AZ. Since then, it has hosted a conference every year in a new location where various vendors and organizations gather for lectures, workshops, and networking opportunities.
The setup resembled the NHA Annual Symposium, but with a slightly stronger emphasis toward fixed-wing aviation. The booths included all the major airlines, training organizations and schools, aerospace companies, and each branch of the armed forces. The underlying theme transcended aircraft types and focused on this question: How do we, as women, insert ourselves into and thrive in a male dominated industry?
All of the lectures did a great job at addressing the challenges of being a woman in aviation, but one in particular really stood out to me. The panel titled “Striking a Balance While Building a Resilient Warrior” focused on mental health in military aviation. One of the panel members, CAPT Chandra “Mamasan” Newman, put it best when she said, “As aviators, we understand unscheduled maintenance for aircraft, but do we understand unscheduled maintenance for ourselves?” This stuck with me because it speaks beyond gender. I think we forget that we can be aviators and humans at the same time. It’s okay to take time for yourself. When we don’t prioritize our own mental health, we not only put ourselves at risk, but also the people with whom we fly.
Many lectures referenced an incident that occurred right before the conference when Minnesota Senator Gene Dornink called a female Delta Pilot a stewardess right after she introduced herself as a pilot. This was a common topic among many of the speakers, where people have the preconceived notion that women are not traditionally thought of as pilots, maintainers, or engineers. Their advice was that women must continually insert themselves into roles traditionally filled by men, thereby actively dispelling the notion that women are unable to do the same job.
At the Navy’s sponsored booth, I engaged with women who were interested in Naval Aviation. It’s exciting to see young women consider military aviation for the first time. Additionally, while milling about the booths, I was happy to discover the Women Military Aviators, or WMA. This organization connects female aviators from every branch of the military. Toward the end of the week, WMA held a flightsuit social where I was able to see some old friends and make some new friends across the Army, Air Force and Coast Guard. Who doesn’t love a good flight suit social?
I loved this conference for many reasons, but the shining star of the week for me was volunteering at the Girls in Aviation Day (GIAD). GIAD was a special day dedicated to girls aged 8-18 to explore the world of aviation. It was particularly memorable because I had the opportunity to teach little girls how to fly the simulator, interpret charts, take pictures together, build paper airplanes, and just generally talk about flying. There is no better feeling than hearing a little girl say she wants to be just like you when she grows up.
Overall, I had a great time at WAI. It was a good opportunity to meet new people, catch up with old friends, hear unique perspectives from a diverse group of aviation professionals, and interact with the next generation of female aviators. I plan on being here again next year, and you should too!
For more information about WAI and how to attend next year’s conference in Denver, CO, visit www.wai.org.
