The diversity of the travel industry is not where it should be. Specifically, the aviation industry has a lack of diversity. Many of the faces that travelers see helping them get to their next destination are not those of minorities. This is especially true in the United States. Organizations that aim to give minorities a better chance at becoming aircrew have been a great way to promote diversity.
Sisters of the Skies is one organization doing exceptional work to create more Black women pilots. Learn more about their initiatives and the status of the aviation industry concerning pilots.
Sisters of the Skies
Sisters of the Skies is an initiative dedicated to sparking change in the aviation industry. The organization started from a Facebook message between two Black women pilots in 2016. After the pilots reflected on the lack of representation and community, it grew into a group chat. This chat was named S.O.S., or Sisters of the Skies. The pilots met up and had enlightening conversations. They discovered that being the only, or few, Black women pilots was not an isolated incident. It was much more common than they could have imagined.
The deep professional and personal connections from the S.O.S. chat inspired the group of pilots to file as a nonprofit organization. Soon after, Sisters of the Skies was established as a nationally recognized organization and honed in on their mission to increase the number of Black female pilots.
The Impact of Sisters of the Skies
Sisters of the Skies aims to drastically increase the number of Black women pilots. This demographic of pilots only represents less than half of 1% of the professional pilot career line. These numbers equate to only around 150 Black women pilots holding commercial, military, airline transport, or certified flight instructor pilot licenses in the United States.
Representation is incredibly important when it comes to future generations and what they believe they can achieve. Although young people can still innovate without seeing representations of themselves in positions they aspire to be in, it feels a lot more attainable when that is the case. Sisters of the Skies is a way for aspiring Black women pilots and experienced pilots to have community and encouragement to support their strides in the industry. Plus, the organization does plenty to serve the community to progress in the aviation industry.
Sisters of the Skies’ Initiatives To Increase the Number of Black Women Pilots
Sisters of the Skies has a few initiatives that promote Black women pilots entering the industry. They have scholarships, mentorships, and outreach initiatives. These initiatives serve as a holistic effort for the betterment of Black women pilots.
The scholarships offered by Sisters of the Skies have been available since 2017 and are awarded annually. This initiative helps to ease the financial burden of pilot training and certification, especially since it can be a commitment that costs upwards of six figures. In partnership with sponsors, Sisters of the Skies offers multiple scholarships awarded during an annual gala.
Mentorship being available to Black women pilots is an integral part of preparation for the aviation industry. Sisters of the Skies’ mentorship program gives those with little access to professional pilot careers a mentor to learn from. The Cohort Program utilizes a virtual platform so that mentees and mentors can stay connected and is organized by training level. S.O.S.’s outreach initiative is also a useful resource for aspiring youth. It gives them opportunities to connect with professional pilots in uniform and take discovery flights. The outreach program also exposes young Black females to aviation with career discovery events like the annual Girls Rock Wings (GRoW) event.
