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CAE announced the names of the first three winners of its 2019 CAE Women in Flight scholarship program at the International Paris Air Show. CAE’s new Women in Flight ambassadors will help drive awareness and promote the pilot profession among women, as well as diversity in aviation.
“We look forward to accompanying our new ambassadors, from their early days in training to the beginning of their journey as professional pilots with our airline partners,” said Nick Leontidis, CAE’s group president, Civil Aviation Training Solutions. “This ground-breaking scholarship program is a catalyst for more diversity in the cockpit, and we congratulate the winners as they pave the way for a new generation of pilots. We thank all applicants of this first edition and wish them much success in reaching their dreams of becoming pilots.”
Over the next decade, CAE expects the civil aviation industry to need over 300,000 new pilots. With women currently representing less than 5 per cent of pilots, CAE is taking a proactive approach to promote a better gender balance and tap into a wider pool of talent. One of the objectives of the CAE Women in Flight program is for its ambassadors to inspire a new generation of professional pilots.
CAE welcomed its first three CAE Women in Flight ambassadors:
• Georgina Thomas-Watson, winner of the Generation easyJet Cadet Program
• Daniella Saucedo Orozco, winner of the Aeromexico Cadet Program
• Bisma Petafi, winner of the CityJet Climb High Mentored Cadet Program
“I want to be a fantastic role model for my kids, particularly my daughter, I convinced her to call me ‘super mommy’ because I’m learning how to fly,” said Thomas-Watson, aged 28, from London, U.K. “Too many women give up on their dreams and careers as soon as they become mothers.”
“I have never had a passion until I discovered my love for aviation,” said Orozco, 20, from Mexico City, Mexico. “We should remember that gender is no limit, our limit is the sky.”
“I am 100 per cent sure that no other profession can compare to the pilot profession,” said Petafi, aged 30, from High Wycombe, U.K. “The satisfaction that you get from flying is different from any career that I can possibly pursue.”
CAE is awarding five scholarships for this first edition of the program. The CAE Women in Flight scholarship recipients for the Air Asia Cadet Pilot Program and the American Airline Cadet Academy Program will be announced later this year.
