- 1 week ago
Join us to learn all about careers in aviation from three amazing women of color who are making their mark on the industry as pilots and aviation managers at American Airlines.
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00:00To the daydreamers, explorers, go-getters, visionaries, let there be no limit to how
00:27you see yourself, or wear. American Airlines, you are why we fly.
00:38Well, hi guys. Are you guys having a good time? Oh, wait, hold up. Can I hear it a little bit loud?
00:49Are you guys having a good time? My virtual viewers, are y'all having a good time? Yeah,
00:55I heard y'all say yeah. I know, I know. Okay, but okay, I just want to say let's just keep fighting a good fight and continue making noise for our last panel.
01:04They dropped some gems. Did y'all hear it? I see some new faces. Hey, guys. Don't forget. All right, so I do see some new faces.
01:14Did you guys go to the GU Beauty Bar, the Wellness Den, the Gamers Lounge, Photos with Ford Booth, and of course, the Coke Zero Mocktail Bar.
01:24They're all open and free if you didn't go, so make sure you check those out.
01:30But, just in case there's any.
01:37So y'all make sure y'all check those out, but not right now because we have a couple of things going on.
01:42You know, we got a special surprise performance at the end.
01:45I mean, I'm not going to tell y'all, but it's about to get real lit, but right now we're about to meet three amazing women who are taking the aviation industry by storm as pilots, cadets, and pilot career recruiters at American Airline.
01:59Y'all fly American Airline? I ain't going to lie. I mean, I fly American Airline. They be treating you good.
02:06But they're here today to share their experience, advice, and most unforgettable career moments today.
02:13Just in case there's anyone that's who want to be a pilot, you know?
02:19Coming to the stage to kick off the conversation is Essence and President of Sales Aviation, Carrie Richardson.
02:26Thank you, Regine, for that incredible introduction.
02:34Thank you. You're beautiful.
02:35Thank you, darling. Same, same.
02:37Okay, so as mentioned, I'm Carrie Richardson, the Vice President of Sales Activations here at Essence.
02:43So, my team, we work with sponsors like American Airlines and like Coke Zero to bring you conversations like this next amazing one we're about to have,
02:53and then also things like the Munch Punch from the Mocktail Bar.
02:56So, without further ado, I'm about to bring out three incredible women who have a career in aviation,
03:02and we're about to dive into all things about what it's like being a pilot, what it's like being recruiting,
03:07and as a private pilot myself, this is one conversation that I'm very excited about.
03:12So, please welcome Captain Beth Powell,
03:16cadet Natalie Powells,
03:21and Manager of Aviation Programs, Jess Ost.
03:25Welcome, ladies.
03:30So, we can get started.
03:33So, to kick things off, I'd love for you each to talk about a little,
03:37what inspired you to pursue a career in aviation?
03:41Well, it's all about the travel and the benefits, right?
03:45My name's Jess.
03:47I am the Manager of Aviation Programs.
03:49I was inspired to become a pilot since I was in third grade.
03:53I was one of those kids that was outside looking up at the sky wondering how in the world those big metal tubes could even stay up there.
04:00I mean, there's just a lot of science, a lot of physics behind it, right?
04:04So, I had a wonderful support system.
04:07I started flying before I could even drive, which you'll hear that from a few of us up here.
04:12And I went to college to be a pilot.
04:16I flew all the way up through my instructor certification.
04:20And then I had the opportunity to go work with the FAA and learn the business operations side of it.
04:26So, for me, flying is not where I'm at in the cockpit, but it's what I get to do, like, events today.
04:35That's what I love.
04:37Very cool.
04:38Very cool.
04:39Hi, everyone.
04:40I'm Natalie.
04:41I'm one of the American Airlines cadets.
04:43I actually finished my flight training in 2021.
04:46But what inspired me to fly, I actually wasn't inspired initially.
04:52And I know that sounds weird because it's like, oh, I'm, you know, everyone sort of has a story.
04:56Like, I'm looking up in the sky.
04:58Both of my parents were pilots.
04:59My mom actually flies.
05:00She's a captain at American Airlines.
05:02So, for me, I was like, hmm, I kind of want to do my own thing and, like, go see my own stuff before I make a decision.
05:10So, I'm actually 30 years old.
05:12And I just started flying, you know, two years ago.
05:16I went and did my thing.
05:17So, I was active duty military.
05:19Still am.
05:20I joined.
05:21I actually went to the Naval Academy and graduated in 2014.
05:24And didn't want to fly.
05:26Did intelligence instead.
05:27And that's what I've been doing for the last eight years.
05:29And then, finally, I was like, you know, maybe I am going to go fly.
05:34So, I tried it.
05:35And I was like, oh, man, they got me.
05:39The seeds were sown from a young age.
05:41And you can't really escape it.
05:42So, I gratefully took that on.
05:45And it's been incredible ever since.
05:49Nice story.
05:49I really love that story because it reminds me of my daughter right now as she's going through her aviation process.
05:55So, I'm Captain Beth Powell with American Airlines.
05:58And I got the bug and the realization at an early age.
06:02I was 15 years old going to high school in Jamaica.
06:06And I loved everything with numbers.
06:07It was math, accounting, physics.
06:10You named it.
06:11It had numbers.
06:12I would do it.
06:13I remember the teacher getting so excited and fascinated every time he put a question out there.
06:18I would answer it and came up to him and say, I think I've found another way to do this.
06:22And he got more excited and I'm like, okay, so I like numbers.
06:26What does that mean?
06:27He said, are you kidding me?
06:29You can become.
06:31I can become?
06:32Yes.
06:33He said, you can become a pilot, a lot of other things, blah, blah, blah.
06:37I heard pilot first and rushed home to my parents and said, mommy, daddy, the teacher said I could become.
06:44Being the mother that I had, extremely supportive of our three daughters, we grabbed the yellow pages.
06:48Yes, I'm old.
06:50And we scrolled through that yellow page, found the one flight school in Jamaica called Wings.
06:55Next thing I knew, I was in an airplane at 15 years old, rolling down the runway 80 miles an hour.
07:02The instructor said, guard the controls with me.
07:04So I put my hands on the controls.
07:06We pulled back.
07:08I felt it.
07:09We made a turn.
07:10I felt it.
07:11I felt every movement that airplane made from start to finish.
07:15I landed, huge smile on my face, kind of like when you all go to Disney World.
07:20And then he looked and said, they pay us to do this.
07:23That's it.
07:24I'm going to be an airline pilot.
07:25And here I am.
07:27I love those stories.
07:31So thank you all for sharing.
07:32I wanted to ask, what are some of the pathways to get to where you are currently?
07:37So I'll start with you, Jess.
07:38Yes, so we have an incredible opportunity with American Airlines.
07:42But you want to learn more about that, we will talk to you about that throughout this and then over at our booth today.
07:50There are a multitude of pathways, right?
07:52So there isn't any one single way to becoming a pilot.
07:56However, the steps to get there are pretty much the same, no matter which direction you go.
08:01You see up here, you have anywhere from civilian, you have military pathway.
08:04So the goal that we want to talk about and what we're expressing to you today is with the American Airlines Cadet Academy.
08:12Our mission is really to grow and diversify the pilot population.
08:16With that, the Cadet Academy has ample opportunity from our geographic locations.
08:23We have five different cities that we're in right now, and we're growing.
08:27We have financial partners to help reduce the stress of the investment.
08:32And we do create a really strong support system like our pilots.
08:36You have a few here today.
08:38We have a great mentor program.
08:40They come and they support us.
08:41They're always in the office helping us out.
08:43So we appreciate everything that they do.
08:46The steps.
08:48So let's say you want to become a pilot, but you have no idea where to start.
08:52The best thing to do is to flip through those yellow pages.
08:55No, not really anymore.
08:56Google.
08:58Google.
09:00Where is the closest local airport?
09:03You look up a fixed-based operator, FBO, find a flight school, sign up for what's called a discovery flight.
09:12So a discovery flight can be taken at any time.
09:14You're going to have an instructor or somebody from the school take you up, give you that experience.
09:20And honestly, if it's for you, it's going to kick in.
09:24It is in your blood.
09:25It's in your system.
09:26The passion, you're going to hear that word a lot from us today, is there.
09:30And like we talked about, you can start flying at a young age.
09:35You can start it as a second career.
09:36We have both that go through our academy.
09:39So one of the cool things you can do with a discovery flight, if you do start flying, then you can even solo.
09:48You can fly the airplane by yourself before you can drive a car by yourself.
09:54So age 16.
09:55Pretty phenomenal, which is great.
09:57However, you go through a pathway like ours.
10:01We are going to have you apply, interview.
10:04Once you're accepted, we pair you with a flight school.
10:07We help you with the finance piece of it because we have those partners that are strategically in place for you.
10:14It is a big investment.
10:16However, the reward is very strong.
10:18So, when you get into the steps, you go through an instructional phase.
10:23Private pilot license to certificated flight instructor in 12 months.
10:31Sounds really fast.
10:33You can enter our program at the age of 18.
10:36So fresh out of high school, 12 months.
10:38Then you go into your hour building.
10:39You need 1,500 hours to become an airline transport pilot.
10:43At that point, we guarantee you an interview with our regional carriers.
10:48And you can come on board regional if you get accepted.
10:51And then eventually to mainline, like Beth over here.
10:54Thank you so much.
10:57So, that's inspiring.
10:58So, if anyone, I can confirm that once you take your first Discovery flight, you will be hooked.
11:04As a private pilot, that's really where I discovered, like, I really, really love flying.
11:09So, let's get into the question that everyone wants to know.
11:11What is a day in the life as a pilot like for you both?
11:14So, as a cadet, it's kind of interesting because your entire life is sort of catered to getting through the program.
11:24So, for us, it depends on the day.
11:26You're flying maybe two flights a day, one flight a day.
11:29It's all driven by you.
11:31So, however fast you want to take the program, you can do two flights in a day, like I said.
11:36Fly seven days a week.
11:37Your instructor is there with you the entire time.
11:40So, you sort of set up that relationship with them, and then they work you through to get you to your goal.
11:46So, it really depends on the day, really.
11:51And that's the nice part is you have the flexibility to sort of dictate your own schedule.
11:55And then the rest of the time you're studying.
11:57You're studying with other people that are in flight school with you.
11:59So, that's nice.
12:00You have a little community that you build up there to get you through the program.
12:04But it's really important having strictly just flying through the program
12:09because you're establishing the foundation of the techniques and the skills that you're going to need
12:14to take you to the regionals, to take you to mainline.
12:18So, the flight school is, it is long.
12:21The days are sometimes really long, and you study a lot.
12:23But you're learning something that's incredible, and you're able to, like, actually get through it.
12:29And it's very rewarding to do that.
12:32And then you can move on and start flying by yourself.
12:35You can instruct afterwards.
12:37But the days are pretty flexible, but they're always jam-packed with things to do.
12:41And on the other side of that focus and dedication, which you need to get through the training,
12:47you have the reward, which Natalie mentions.
12:49And so, as a pilot for the mainline, first of all, your average days off range from 12 to 18.
12:56A junior pilot may have 12 to 13 days on reserve off,
13:00and a senior pilot may have as much as 18 days off.
13:02Yes, 18 days off.
13:04So, we say the average days off of pilots are 15.
13:06With that being said, we have anything from a daily trip, if you want to do a turn out and back from your base,
13:13drop the passengers off, come back home, or you can range up to a five-day trip.
13:17I'll paint a picture of what a three-day trip looks like, because I love my three-day trips.
13:22So, we sign in one hour before, and we go there to prepare ourselves for the flight.
13:28Now, the preparation for the flight really starts before we even get to the airport.
13:32We are aware of what's going on with the weather.
13:34We show up.
13:35We check the weather again.
13:36We check our flight plan.
13:38We check the aircraft log just to see the history of the airplane.
13:40If we need to talk to maintenance or dispatch, we are doing that.
13:44As a captain of the airplane, I'm responsible for the crew and the passenger for the entire flight,
13:49from the doors closed until it's open.
13:51And so, I'm going to brief my flight attendants, and then, of course, talk to the passengers.
13:56Now, the fun begins.
13:57We depart.
13:58I describe what it felt like flying.
14:00But then, we get to the destination.
14:02We have about 15, 18, sometimes 24 hours layover at that destination.
14:08Who likes to travel?
14:11So, now, here's the fun part.
14:12On the overnights, you get to go somewhere, learn about their culture, eat their cuisine,
14:18and really submerge yourself into the place that you're staying.
14:21And the next day, you wake up again and get to do what you love all over again, fly passengers
14:26to their destination, may do a turn in between, and get to the overnight again.
14:31And so, that's pretty much a three-day trip.
14:33You can come back early morning, depending on what you bid, or late at night, depending
14:37on the time of day you like to fly.
14:39Then, your days off are yours.
14:40Then, guess what you're doing on your days off again?
14:43Traveling.
14:43So, that's a day in the life of a pilot, and I have to stress, we get about average
14:4915 days off per month.
14:51That's pretty impressive.
14:53Essence, you hear that?
14:56Okay.
14:57So, now, as passengers, where is your favorite place to travel, and why?
15:04So, I actually travel a lot for my Navy job.
15:08But, the nice part is my mom's from Argentina, so one of the places that I get to travel
15:13to often is Argentina.
15:15So, that's, like, the nice thing is, like, I get to fly American that takes me to my mom's
15:19home, and then they take me back to my home.
15:22So, it's always that nice connection that I have with, like, my family, my ancestry, and
15:28I get to go and have American take me there.
15:31So, it's really, it's really special.
15:33That's my favorite place to travel.
15:34And I share that sentiment with Natalie of going back to her mom's home, because when
15:39I do go back home, which is Jamaica, it's being in the culture that I was raised, there's
15:45something about seeing where you came from to where you are, and also help the people
15:49there.
15:49But another favorite destination of mine is St. Martin.
15:53Imagine being in the Caribbean island on a beautiful beach around the Caribbean culture.
15:58However, it's influenced still by the French on the north side and the Dutch on the south
16:03side.
16:03So, you have a European flair in the Caribbean island.
16:06That's the best of three worlds right there.
16:08St. Martin is also one of my favorite places.
16:11So, yay, we have that in common.
16:13So, what are you most proud of being a woman in aviation?
16:16Like, what are you happy to bring to the field, to the industry?
16:20So, while I mention I'm a pilot, a captain with American Airlines, I'm also the lead for
16:25the flight inclusion team and also the operation inclusion team.
16:29And so, the work I do get to touch the hearts and the minds of the people we work with.
16:35We get to create that opportunity for them to grow while encouraging others to lean forward.
16:40We get to create that space of psychological safety where everyone can safely perform at
16:45their jobs but know they belong.
16:48That gives me chills because it's a real passion of mine from my upbringing in Jamaica.
16:52We say, out of many one people, we're very diverse in our background, our thoughts, and
16:57a strength as a black woman.
16:59They encourage strength as a black woman.
17:01So, I get to take that to my work every day.
17:04I make recommendations for improved policies and procedures.
17:07I make recommendations to enhance our training culture.
17:10And, of course, I make recommendations for training courses to help our other employees
17:15along their journeys to sustain change.
17:18I love that.
17:18Love that.
17:19Anybody else?
17:19What are you happy to bring to the field of aviation?
17:22So, I told you I love what I do right now.
17:25We, for example, we get to go out and do these events and be inspired by you all and hopefully
17:35be an inspiration to you all.
17:37Not only do we do events like this, but we get to go into the education world in elementary
17:43schools, in middle schools, give tours, go to camps for high schools, get them that hands-on
17:49experience.
17:50And, just the goal is to really excite and engage and just let them know that it's not
17:57actually just a dream.
17:58This is a reality that we are bringing to you.
18:01And, that's probably my favorite by far.
18:05Love it.
18:06Love it.
18:07Okay.
18:07So, I also want to ask, what career advice do you have for someone who wants to, you know,
18:12start a life as a pilot or even a manager of aviation programs?
18:18I'll start.
18:19Okay.
18:20I will say, not everybody's journey is the same.
18:22So, one side does not fit all.
18:25And, we can all relate to that in our own lives.
18:28Everybody's past, their path forward, just what they want to do.
18:33Everybody has their own unique way of doing things.
18:36And, that's aviation.
18:38You can do any job you ever wanted to do in aviation.
18:42From social media, to interior design, to fashion, to being a pilot, maintenance, etc.
18:49You just, we have over, I think, over 100,000 employees at American Airlines.
18:54It takes a lot to run an airline.
18:57It takes a lot to just be in the industry.
19:00And, I would say, even if your goal is not to be up here on stage as a pilot, there's something else that you can do to allow you to travel and experience the world.
19:12Take advantage of it.
19:13I think, because I'm also thinking, like, I'm giving advice to myself.
19:20If you have a dream and you have a passion, whether it's for aviation, whether it's for anything, like, don't be afraid to go after it.
19:28Because, the only limitations that we really end up putting on ourselves, because society is kind of, as it implies, a social construct.
19:37So, you find your way and believe in yourself and what you can accomplish, because you can accomplish anything.
19:44So, take that, sit with it, let it sit in your heart, and then just go out and achieve the things that you want to do, because nothing's impossible.
19:54And, I'm going to share, piggyback from what Natalie just said.
19:57I really want you all to take the time to get to know yourself.
20:01Know who you are, what you like, and really, your why.
20:05I tell you why.
20:06Along the road to success, there are going to be challenges.
20:08There are going to be obstacles you will face.
20:10But, if you are passionate, and you hear my passion when I speak, you hear their passion when they speak, if you're truly passionate about what you're doing, the obstacles, you'll find a way around it, above it, below it, through it if you have to.
20:23But, you will succeed, and you will enjoy every moment and every day of that.
20:29So, get to know yourself, know your why, what you're passionate about, and then pursue that with everything you've got.
20:35Ooh, felt that in my soul.
20:36Okay, so, let's take a few questions from the audience.
20:39Anyone have any questions for these three amazing women?
20:44We'll have you come up to the mic.
20:54And, if there are any other questions, feel free to line up behind her.
20:57Hello.
20:58So, I wanted to know, with the program, is, like, you guys cover everything financially, or do you have to use financial aid?
21:04Like, how does it work?
21:05So, with the Cadet Academy at American Airlines, we have financial partners.
21:11So, we do not personally pay for the flight training as American Airlines, but we have partnered with several financial institutions to help make it real.
21:23So, it is coordinating a little bit like a student loan, as you would say, but it is catered to our program.
21:29So, okay, thank you.
21:32Any other questions?
21:33Yes, we'll have you come up to the mic.
21:35So, hello.
21:44I heard you earlier say about the fashion.
21:47So, I have my own scrub lot.
21:50So, this is actually one of them.
21:52And, when I'm at work, I'm an ER nurse.
21:54So, I take care of them.
21:55When I'm at work, they're like, your uniform gives me a flight attendant bath.
21:59Or, like, you look like you're, like, a flight attendant, but it's nice.
22:03It's professional.
22:04So, on the fashion part, like, would y'all be interested in bringing in people to, like, design uniforms?
22:10So, when you are done, come by the booth.
22:12We have our DEI rep, Jackie, there.
22:14We do have partnership with various vendors, and we always are looking for vendors to add to our inventory.
22:20So, come and talk to us.
22:21We can get your information put in our system and have somebody from that department reach out to you.
22:26Okay.
22:26Thank you so much.
22:27Yes, come on.
22:27Shoot your shot.
22:28Yes.
22:28Yes.
22:31Okay.
22:31Any other questions?
22:33Okay.
22:34Well, ladies, thank you so much for this amazing conversation.
22:37And, a huge thank you to our partners at American Airlines.
22:40And, we will see you later.
22:43Bye.
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