AFTA Encouraging More Females to Consider Aviation as a Career
In Episode One of AFTA’s recently launched Podcast called “More Female Pilots Needed”, an all-female panel of AFTA graduates and current students shared their views on why more females should consider training to be a pilot. The panel, openly and honestly shared their own personal journeys into aviation, discussed flight training and gave an insight into the role of a commercial pilot. Worldwide still only 5% of pilots are female. Although the trends in Ireland are certainly more promising, in recently released statistics by Statista.com (October 2020), India is leading the way with 12.4% pilots and Ireland is only second worldwide with 9.9%. The podcast is an entertaining and educational listen for anyone who is curious about becoming a commercial pilot or has an interest in aviation.
As Covid 19 restrictions continue to curtail seminars , careers days and aviation events , AFTA is looking for new ways to reach out to people who want to learn more about pilot training and what’s involved. The podcast is a novel way to do this along with regular webinars, virtual visits and in person tours (where Covid restrictions allow). Located at Cork International Airport with a satellite base at Waterford Airport, AFTA has trained over 2,200 commercial pilots and has partnerships with Ryanair and Stobart Air. They also currently train cadets for Air Astana and Pegasus Airlines.
Captain Mark J. Casey, CEO and Head of Training at AFTA commented’, “We have been working proactively with all our partners over the past couple of years to encourage more women to pursue a career in aviation . It was fantastic to see past and present AFTA ambassadors getting together to share their experiences and talk about their journey. On the other side of this global pandemic the industry will rebound and expand and we are looking forward to our “AFTA girls” leading this recovery from the flightdeck or a large commercial airliner.”
You can download Episode One on Spotify or Apple Podcasts. There is a follow up free Webinar with the panel on Tuesday the 13thd of October, tickets available on Eventbrite
AFTA, established in 1995 by CEO and Head of Training Captain Mark J. Casey is celebrating 25 years in operation this year.
About the Author
Mark Dwyer Mark is an airline pilot flying the Boeing 737 for a major European airline. In addition he is also a Type Rating Instructor, Type Rating Examiner and Base Training Captain on the B737. Outside of commercial flying Mark enjoys flying light aircraft from the smallest 3 Axis microlights up to heavier singles. He is also an instructor and EASA Examiner on single engines and a UK CAA Examiner. He flies the Chipmunk for the Irish Historic Flight Foundation (IHFF). Mark became the Chairman of the National Microlight Association of Ireland (NMAI) in 2013 and has overseen a massive growth in the organisation. In this role he has worked at local and national levels. In 2015, Mark won ‘Upcoming Aviation Professional Award’ at the Aviation Industry Awards sponsored by the IAA. Mark launched this website back in 2002 while always managing the website, he has also been Editor and Deputy Editor of FlyingInIreland Magazine from 2005 to 2015.
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