Why Idaho needs more women like me in the cockpit

One of my earliest memories is sitting behind my dad in his airplane, pressing my face to the window, watching the big buildings shrink to look like Lego sets. I remember thinking: I want to fly a plane one day.

The memories of flying with my dad – a fixed wing and helicopter pilot who repaired power lines – stayed with me for years of raising three wonderful children and working in sales. It wasn’t until my early 40s that I completed my private pilot license, the first step in my pilot career. I’m currently completing my instrument rating while working toward my commercial certificate, both needed to achieve my long-term goal of building a career in corporate aviation.

My story matters now because women don’t need to wait until mid-life to become pilots. If the calling comes in childhood, follow it. Girls in Aviation Day returns to Boise on Saturday, Sept. 19, and I want as many people as possible, especially girls who may assume a cockpit isn’t for them, to see what’s possible.

Women hold only about 5.5% to 6% of U.S. airline pilot jobs. This number has barely moved in decades, according to the Federal Aviation Administration. Meanwhile, North American airlines expect to be 30,000 pilots short of what they need by 2032, despite the U.S. government projecting that there will be roughly 18,000 new airline and commercial pilot openings this decade.

My timeline was unusual and now I’m training while balancing significant family responsibilities that don’t pause for flight lessons. Training is expensive, and self-funding my dream has meant real sacrifice for myself and my family.

I’ve asked myself more than once whether it made sense to keep going. My answer has stayed the same: yes. I credit that to the mentorship I’ve received from other women in aviation. A scholarship through Women in Corporate Aviation last year helped me pass my instrument written exam and keep training toward my checkride.

I pay it forward by mentoring girls through our local chapter of Women in Aviation and volunteering with events like Girls in Aviation Day, because I wouldn’t be here without seeing the many women before me who have made it to the rank of captain.

Girls in Aviation Day brings around 250 girls ages 8 to 18 to Western Aircraft in Boise for a free day of aircraft tours, hands-on activities, and one-on-one time with women working across aviation and aerospace: pilots, engineers, mechanics, dispatchers, air traffic controllers. For many of these girls, it may be the first time they see someone who looks like them doing this job.

Representation changes what a kid believes is possible for herself. While I didn’t have many women pilots to point to when I was younger, those in my life are instrumental in keeping me on my career path. I want the girls in the Treasure Valley community to have that now, not decades later. I want women considering aviation later in life, like I did, to know their timeline doesn’t have to look a certain way.

Please bring the girls in your life to Western Aircraft at the Boise Airport between 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. Registration is free at bit.ly/GIAD2026. Come see what’s possible when the cockpit door is actually open.