Sandra Bookman has more on what it is and why we celebrate it. Eagle Flight is giving people like us in these local communities an opportunity to fly an airplane and get exposure, Muriithi said
And that will hopefully help close a gap in the aviation industry. According to Sisters of the Skies an organization of professional Black female pilots less than 1% of pilots in the US are Black women. For us to be in 2021, it is kind of a shock, said Monique Grayson, a member of the organization and a first officer with Delta Airlines.
Her interest in planes took off when she was 12 years old, but she hit some financial turbulence in flight school.
Finding Sisterhood Among Black Female Pilots: Women Who Travel Podcast Lale Arikoglu, Meredith Carey
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According to the FAA, women make up just seven percent of all certified pilots, and of those female pilots, less than one percent are Black women. Captains Kellie Young and Stephanie Hartsfield are among that percentage, having spent careers flying on international legacy carriers, cargo flights, and corporate planes. This week, we re catching up with Kellie and Stephanie to learn about their journeys, the challenges along the way, and how they re paying it forward for Black female pilots of the future. Both are a part of Sisters of the Skies, a non-profit dedicated to mentorship, scholarships, and outreach to young Black women to follow in their footsteps into the pilot s seat.