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  • Tracey Cheek posted an article
    Women in Aviation see more

    NAFA member, Rene Banglesdorf, CEO of Charlie Bravo Aviation, discusses attracting more women into business aviation.

    AH:  Rene, you have been one of the major voices in the sector promoting the importance of having more women in business aviation.  What's happening on that front? 

    RB: I recently began a new term with the International Aviation Women’s Association. For the last two years I have served as Vice President, General Aviation Industry, and now I am beginning a two-year term as VP of Communications and Events with the IAWA. The Association  has  members  from  38  different  countries  and there are some 400 current members. They come from all sectors of the industry. 

    AH: How tough is it for woman to get into business aviation and then to get on when they are in? 

    RB: I do not think that barriers to entry are the reason why there are not many women in the industry. The main reason, to my mind, is that  the  industry  is  not actively recruiting women. I am not the only person who thinks this. Recently, two US Senators, both women, one a Democrat, one a Republican, have proposed legislation called “Promoting Women in the Aviation Workplace Act.” You have to remember that there is a shrinking workforce in aviation so getting more women into the sector matters immensely. We have heard many discussions about pilot and mechanic shortages. Commercial airlines have been seeking to recruit women for about ten years. By comparison, business aviation is really lagging, so we have a big job to do. If we are not recruiting Millennials, which is 60% of the available work force, and women which comprise 55% of the available work force, then in total we are missing around 75% of the working population, which does not bode well! Look at all the gray hair in the room at business aviation conferences. I was the youngest person on my panel at the CJI Conference recently and I am 48! 

    AH: It does not, on the face of it, look like an industry that would favour someone who wants both a career and a family.

    RB: I think that we absolutely need to do a better job of making this an industry that is not in conflict with raising a family. The industries that are successful at retaining women are those industries that are managing to accommodate a woman’s desire to also raise a family at the same time as she pursues her career. There are some things that airlines in other countries are doing and I think that we need to try to do that here. Basically, just about all the career roles could be made more attractive for women by building in more flexibility on the hours. You might think that being a woman aircraft broker would be a real stumbling block. But speaking from my own experience, that has never been in conflict with my role as a mother. I might be taking a conference call at 5.00 am or at 11.00 pm. But if my daughter has a volleyball game at 6.00 pm on a Thursday, I can arrange my schedule around that. If I am going to go to her school for three hours on a Friday morning to volunteer, I can arrange my schedule around that. My schedule may be erratic, but I set it. Moreover, there are a number of professional positions within aviation that offer that kind of flexibility, or that could be adjusted to offer it. The point is, if you want women in your organization, allow some flexibility. For instance, take a pilot’s schedule. A pilot in general aviation may be on-call all of the time. The owner can decide where and when he or she wants to fly. So, the days of being on call 24 x 7 every day of the year may have to be a thing of the past if we want women in the industry. But that is not so hard. If you look at corporate flight departments, they do a good job of having days when you are on-call and days when you are not. Owners and aircraft management companies too need to realize that if they want to attract and retain crew, then it is all about being considerate of their crew having a life outside of flying.  is is going to be necessary in the future both if you want to attract pilots to work for you and if you want to attract women pilots to work for you. I had a young woman on a panel recently who flies donor organs for a living. She is on call every other week, 24 x 7 for that other week, but her family knows the schedule and they can support this. So, both sides need to have good communication and agreed-upon boundaries.

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    This article was originally published in Business Aviation Magazine, Summer 2018, p. 60. 

     November 06, 2018