Meet Lola Reid Allin

 

We were lucky to catch up with Lola Reid Allin recently and have shared our conversation below.

Lola, so great to have you with us and we want to jump right into a really important question. In recent years, it’s become so clear that we’re living through a time where so many folks are lacking self-confidence and self-esteem. So, we’d love to hear about your journey and how you developed your self-confidence and self-esteem.

Though I always had the big dream of flying through the sky like the clouds, I wasn’t always the confident woman I am today.

Despite my childhood desire to avoid a traditional female role, that same lonesome childhood had fostered a desperate need for unconditional love. Coupled with the crushing social pressure I felt to conform, I abandoned my dreams and at age 20, leapt into marriage and motherhood.

Marriage was fabulous —at first— but sometime within the first three years, I knew I’d made a mistake.
I wanted to leave, but my fear of life on the other side was a major roadblock.

Finally, I took the first step toward regaining my life, not the life others wanted for me.

Learning to fly — acquiring the ability and knowledge required to control an aircraft — gave me the confidence to believe in myself and the courage to regain control of my life.

I wrote HIGHWAY to the SKY: An Aviator’s Journey to help others realize that professional success and personal happiness ARE possible if life’s roadblocks and detours are viewed as challenges and learning opportunities.

Thanks for sharing that. So, before we get any further into our conversation, can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and what you’re working on?

In 1979, when I began flying, fewer than 4% of commercial pilots worldwide were female.
Though my professional career spanned three decades, my less-than-perfect eyesight prevented me from being hired by a major air carrier.
In 1993, I made the radical decision to follow another passion. Building on my university studies in anthropology and psychology, I moved to Mexico’s Caribbean to study the ancient and Modern Maya in person, while earning money as a professional SCUBA DiveMaster.
Years later, when I realized that the percentage of female pilots had increased only marginally to 5% worldwide, I decided to take action.
I joined female pilot networking groups (The Ninety-Nines International Organization of Female Pilots, WAI/Women in Aviation International, Northern Lights Aero Foundation).
I began doing research and started writing my memoir. And, to craft a worthy, relatable, and readable recreation of the events that inspired me to become a pilot and my aviation career, I enrolled in creative writing courses, first at Gotham Writers NYC and later University of Toronto.
My bestselling debut memoir, HIGHWAY to the SKY: An Aviator’s Journey, fills a gap between the many books written about early female record-breaking pilots (1929-1939 —think Amelia Earhart) and female pilots during WWII (WASPs & ATAs) and the modern jet age (1993 – present) when a few female pilots have achieved captain status.
Today, based on the premise “You can’t be what you can’t see!, I have a busy interview and lecture schedule talking to schools, universities, clubs, and the general public at libraries and bookstores about women’s achievements in aviation from the first licensed female pilot in 1910 to present day.
Sadly, the most recent statistics for female commercial pilots worldwide is 4.7%, though Air India leads with an impressive 12.7%.

Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?

1. Believe in yourself. If you have trained for and successfully passed the same rigorous tests as your male colleagues, you have as much right to this job as a man. Accept that you may face harassment and discrimination and know that this impacts effective/accurate performance which, in turn, reinforces stereotypes/gender bias.
Remember: Don’t listen to the doubters. If you are qualified, you can succeed.

2. Strive for excellence. Aim for the stars. Accept that you will not achieve this goal. When you make an error, accept that you are not perfect, but also know that some colleagues, male and female, will translate your inability to be as proof that you, and all women, are unsuited for your chosen career. This issue is prevalent in STEM careers, particularly engineering and aviation.
Remember: Nobody is perfect. Ignore them and continue to improve and self-correct.

3. Be confident. Despite adequate training, many qualified women feel unqualified to apply for new positions or feel undeserving of their current status. This uncertainty often translates as a reluctance to be assertive which, in turn, reinforces a woman’s feelings of inadequacy and the perception of women as unsuitable in the minds of male colleagues.
Remember: Walk tall and be proud of your accomplishments.

Is there a particular challenge you are currently facing?

As with many STEM careers, the aviation industry is failing to recruit and retain female employees. Excerpt from the faa.gov/regulations_policies/rulemaking/committees/documents/media/WIAAB_Recommendations_Report_March_2022.pdf
These problems include, but are not limited to:
A. Recruitment —
– gender stereotypes
– lack of industry roles models in toys, cartoon, media
– lack of parent child awareness of career availability
– perception of inequality
– lack of female role models
– lack of visibility of existing female role models
B. Retention —
– hiring/training practices designed for men
– few scholarships (some available from WAI & The Ninety-Nines; I have created the New Track Scholarship with the East Canada Section 99s)
– marginalized or lone voice
– harassment (verbal, physical, sexual)
To act as a role model and source of information, I am Co-lead and speaker with the Education & Outreach Committee of the First Canadian Chapter, Ninety-Nines International Organization of Women Pilots and a speaker with the Northern Lights Aero Foundation.
Further, I wrote my memoir to inspire others to realize that success is possible if roadblocks and detours are considered challenges to be overcome.

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