As part of our careers Program, Year 12 student Olivia Churchland recently attended a Nurturing Aviation Day hosted by Sydney Flight College. Below is her reflection on the experience:
On 25 February I attended the Nurturing Aviation Day held at Sydney Flight College. This was an enriching experience with speakers such as Matt Hall – reigning world champion Red Bull air racer and former Royal Australian Air Force top gun fighter pilot – and representatives from the Australian Women’s Pilots Association including president Barbara Trappett who discussed the continuing Matt Hall Racing Part Scholarship and their new Women in Aviation Part Scholarship respectively.
I felt so inspired through this experience particularly as a female entering a male dominated industry and was moved by the encouraging words of the speakers. Sydney Flight College also announced their new goal to have 25% of each cohort being female students by 2025. This goal allows more women to work towards their aviation dreams.
The College also offered an optional 15-minute trial flight. I had the opportunity to fly an Archer TX aircraft, and with no flight experience took off and flew for 15 minutes with very close supervision and support. Participating in this Aviation Day, I learnt a lot about flying and the plane used for the trial flight and in training students at the College as well as the double diploma program offered at the College. I would highly encourage any young aspiring pilots to participate in a trial flight as it is the best experience for someone who is considering this career option. I am so excited to embark on this journey in 2024 and could not recommend this open day more to young women looking to pursue this career path. Thank you to Ms Guirguis for providing me with an alternative pathway to becoming a pilot that I otherwise would not have considered as an option. As a result of this day, I am more certain of my career path for 2024 and look forward to submitting an application with the College this year.
