Parks College of St. Louis University Hosts Girls In Aviation Day

By Carmelo Turdo

St. Louis University's Parks College of Engineering, Aviation and Technology hosted the first annual Girls In Aviation Day today at their St. Louis Downtown Airport Center for Aviation Science facility. The event was held in cooperation with Women In Aviation International and local sponsors providing static display aircraft, aviation industry exhibitors and a lunch speaker program for nearly 100 local high school students. The keynote speaker for the luncheon was Captain Stephanie Johnson, Delta Airlines' first African-American female captain. Her accomplishments ideally represent the "You can do this" message of the event.

Rachel Rimmerman of Parks College with Captain Johnson

The event began with a panel discussion on aviation careers and opportunities at Parks College. The 45-minute session covered a range of topics in support of women in aviation and was very interactive.

Following the panel discussion, the students were invited to fly the newly installed Frasca TruFlite simulators. Frasca set up the simulators on site, and remotely support their software as needed. The simulators can be configured for single and twin-engine aircraft to match those used in the Parks College fleet. The view outside of the cockpit is presented on three high-resolution flat screens, giving the illusion of three-dimensional flight. Flight training in the simulators is concentrated on instrument training (including weather conditions and mechanical failures), though training in specific aspects of visual flight and air traffic control communications may also be conducted.     

Several aircraft were on display outside of the Parks College hangar, and the students were invited to climb aboard and talk to the pilots. Included were a Diamond DA-20, Cirrus SR20 and Piper Seminole from the Parks College fleet; a new Cirrus SR22 from the Knoxville Vision Center; a Cessna Citation representing business aviation; an Air Methods BK117C-2 medical airlift helicopter; and the Air Methods Pilatus PC-12, KidsFlight 3.  

Students attending today's Girls In Aviation event met with prominent women from the aviation field, including St. Louis Airport Authority Director of Airports and CEO of St. Louis-Lambert International Airport, Rhonda Hamm-Niebruegge (pictured here on the left with senior staff member Elizabeth Smart), pilots and non-commissioned officers from Scott AFB, representatives from Republic and Alaska Airlines, and leaders from many other local organizations. These aviation professionals offered encouragement, practical advice and guidance to the students in a no-pressure environment. Even as the aviation industry is in dire need of additional pilots and technicians, currently women still comprise only about 7% of the pilot and about 29% of the non-pilot aviation career populations (2017 FAA data). This may be the best opportunity in generations for women to make significant inroads into this career field.     

Following a lunch break, the keynote speaker, Delta Airlines Captain Stephanie Johnson, discussed her career and opportunities for women in aviation in a friendly, informal style. In 2016, she became the first African-American captain for Delta Airlines. Her first experience with flight came when her physics teacher at Kent State offered to fly her and 2 friends in his Piper Cherokee. She took the controls during the flight, and decided to seek out formal training at Kent State. She became a CFI there and at other flight schools before taking her first commercial flight, and she also worked in airport operations at Burke Lakefront Airport in Cleveland.   

Johnson then flew the King Air and Learjet with an on-demand charter company, transporting doctors to and from the Cleveland Clinic or golf fans to Augusta for the PGA Masters Tournament. While flying for Mesa Airlines, she earned her ground instructor certificate. In 1997, Johnson became the first African-American woman pilot hired by Northwest Airlines (now Delta) as a flight engineer in the Boeing 727. She found her career path - flying with a scheduled major airline that would offer a more regular work-life balance.

The path from student to airline pilot was not easy, but it was accomplished through diligence, hard work and with always having a backup plan in mind. "You always think about having a backup," she told the students at today's event. "If you're in aviation as a pilot or an air traffic controller, you have to maintain a medical certificate. So it's very important to think in the back of your mind, 'what if I can't get that medical certificate?'" As mentioned above, getting experience in airport management in Cleveland afforded her some additional "backup" work experience. 

"Whatever you decide you want to do in life, think of all the little things that are going to give you an edge in an interview, all the little extra things you can learn," she added. "I tell my kids, there is no such thing as extra credit. If your teacher is offering something else you can learn, then you need to take the time to learn that. You can get those extra points because something might happen and now you have these extra points that are now your buffer."

Obtaining the goal of being one of the still few African-American women pilots is not the end game. Being the best at her job and enjoying it are her continuing standards. "Every second you have, you're studying," she said, referring to recurrent training. "But it's for something that I love to do, and when you do it well, you love it even more...When you grease that airplane on the runway, and the passengers are smiling when they get off, then you feel really good." 

Captain Johnson knows that there is much more work to be done to encourage more women to join the aviation community. "It's 2018 now, why do we still have to do this? We have to do this because it is a big deal...There are not enough (women in aviation). It's too late to still have firsts. We still have firsts, and it's not unusual." She emphasized that women have to support each other to change the situation, individually and through organizations such as those present at the Parks College Girls In Aviation event. 

The Aero Experience thanks Parks College of Engineering, Aviation and Technology, St. Louis University, Women In Aviation International and all those who participated in today's program.