Three women make history at Bahamasair

Wed, May 23rd 2012, 09:03 AM

Three Bahamian women opened a new chapter in the history of the national flag carrier yesterday, becoming Bahamasair's first female captains in the traditionally male-dominated field.
Captains Frances Smith, Gwendolyn Ritchie and Gail Saunders follow in the footsteps of Patrice Clarke, the first female pilot hired by Bahamasair in 1984, nearly 11 years after it opened. Clarke, who was the only female professional pilot in the country at the time, went on to become the first female African-American airline captain of a major carrier in the United States (United Parcel Service).
Managing Director of Bahamasair Henry Woods told The Nassau Guardian that Smith, Ritchie and Saunders have a combined 56 years of experience in the industry and have each proved themselves over the years in their tenure, and through extensive training in the highly technical field.
"The achievement of these three women speaks volumes to the standards that are prevailing at Bahamasair because they stand out in what you would call a male-dominated field," Woods said during a press conference at Bahamasair's hangar facility at Lynden Pindling International Airport.
Women represent just under 10 percent of the 72 pilots employed by Bahamasair, according to Woods.
Director of Flight Operations Captain Paulo Cartwright said Bahamasair stands out among its regional and international counterparts in presenting three women captains at the same time, in light of the country's small population and the aviation community.
"Our history of women goes way back and we are proud of the achievement," Woods said.
"We are proud of what these young ladies have achieved and we are sure they are going to be role models and an inspiration for a lot of people out there - men and women - as an indication of what you can achieve with dedication, sacrifice and hard work."
When asked how it felt to make history Captain Saunders said: "We never thought of it as making history with our achievements when we marked out our goal to become captains. But it feels great."
Captain Smith said the sacrifice has been great for her and her colleagues as they have balanced an extremely competitive career with motherhood and family life. She said all of this was 'challenging', but made the achievement all the more special.
She added that it took a lot of sacrifice and determination to get where she is today and advised young people to "aim for the skies and you can achieve whatever you set your mind to".
Captain Ritchie added that their achievement is a testament to what others could achieve and hoped young Bahamian women would be more ambitious professionally, especially in male-dominant fields.
Woods said another two women, who are currently pilots, are expected to reach the rank of captain after receiving the necessary training in the next few years.

Click here to read more at The Nassau Guardian

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