Marie Clotworthy didn’t realise women could become pilots until a recruiter for the Air Training Corps (aka the Air Cadets) visited her school when she was 12.
Now a 42-year-old first officer with Jetstar on flights across the Tasman and to the Cook Islands and Fiji, she had always wanted to fly, but thought her gender rendered it an impossible dream until the Air Cadets told her otherwise.
Flying a glider for the first time at 13, the Aucklander was “immediately hooked”, an addiction which has led to a high-flying career that has enabled her work across the world – all while maintaining what she believes to be a good work-life balance.
While Jean Batten is widely considered to be one of New Zealand’s greatest ever aviators, women are still woefully underrepresented among the country’s pilots. Data from the latest national census in 2018 showed that less than 5% of pilots in Aotearoa were women – 120 compared to 2361 men.
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It’s a similar story overseas. In 2020, just 5% of pilots globally were women, and a mere 1.42% of captains were female, according to the International Society of Women Airline Pilots.
Ardmore Flying School chief executive Irene King said she believes many women are under the misconception that the aviation sector is ruled by an “old boys’ club” and that being a pilot is incompatible with family life.
“But that couldn’t be further from the truth. The lifestyle choices can be phenomenal. Many women pilots raise families either as part of a nuclear family or on their own. And while there might be an old boys’ club, they don’t have any impact on salary, superannuation or job opportunities within the context of the scheduled airline environment.”
In many ways, pilots have an “ideal” work-life balance, with fairly stable rosters and at least six weeks annual leave, King said.
“Oh, and did I mention the pay? When working in regular scheduled airlines, the pay is good for the hours worked, and they get tax-free allowances for meals and accommodation.”
Airline captains on international jets can earn up to $300,000, according to Careers.govt.nz research from 2020. Pilots who fly turboprop planes on domestic routes earn between $50,000 and $150,000 a year, while jet pilots earn between $80,000 and $190,000 or more.
Air New Zealand captain Natasha (Tash) Politakis decided to train as a pilot when she was part way through a chemical engineering degree and realised she needed a career that would offer more adventure.
She’d always been excited by airports, flying and travel in general, so began flying at the Canterbury Aeroclub and enrolled in a full-time flying course. Even on her first flight, she never felt any fear taking control of a plane, only excitement.
“It felt like second nature,” the 34-year-old Wellingtonian said. “There was a lot to learn, and I had to work hard to understand an industry that I knew very little about, but I was surrounded by extraordinarily passionate people who were always keen to share their knowledge and experiences. Almost 15 years on, nothing has changed. I still get excited about flying and often have moments when I look out the flight deck window and can’t believe that I get to do this every day.”
After earning her wings, Politakis moved to Australia’s Sunshine Coast, where she handed out her CV at every airport within driving distance, eventually stumbling upon a small flight training school run by an ex RAAF pilot in the town of Caboolture.
The owner offered her a job on the spot – in part, she thinks, because she’d flown a taildragger aircraft called a Piper Cub – and she soon found herself doing scenic flights in vintage planes such as the de Havilland Tiger Moth amid a “spattering” of flight instructing.
“A highlight of my time in Caboolture was that I got to meet and go for a flight with Red Bull pilot Matt Hall, which funnily enough, sparked an interest in aerobatics!”
Now a captain on 50-seat turboprop aircraft, the Bombardier Q300, she flies mostly between Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch and regional ports.
“The next day we’ll fly another 3-5 flights back to home base. If you ever need any regional restaurant recommendations, ask your pilot!”
Politakis enjoys the variety that comes with regional flying, both in terms of the landscapes she crosses and the weather conditions she encounters.
Asked whether she thinks she has a good work-life balance, she said aviation is its own lifestyle. Air New Zealand pilots are essentially shift workers, working 18 days out of every 28.
“It can be challenging managing things like childcare, committing to a sports team or a regular activity – but there are lots of advantages to our rosters too. Some days I’ll be driving home at 9am, as everyone else is driving to work to start their day. We get great flight and travel discounts, additional leave, and extra days off.”
Politakis said the airline offers a “great base salary”, which increases every year until you reach the top pay grade, and substantially so once you make captain. Pilots also receive allowances to cover their expenses while away from home, get paid overtime, and have opportunities to earn more if they take on extra responsibilities.
She said she believes gender is irrelevant when you’re working alongside people equally passionate about the job.
“But I really enjoy the days when I get to fly with a female colleague, mostly because passengers take notice! For the next generation of pilots, it’s so important that they see role models who they can relate to – so the more diversity we can showcase now, the better aviation will be in the future.”
Clotworthy, by contrast, said she has found being one of relatively few women in her field difficult at times, especially early on in her career.
“Ninety-nine per cent of the instructors and fellow pilots I’ve met (throughout the course of my career) have been supportive and encouraging,” she said. “I know women who were flying before me had a lot of challenges to overcome, and I am grateful that they paved the way with resilience and determination.
After racking up her flying hours and perfecting her skills as a flight instructor, Clotworthy went on to captain a turboprop aircraft, which she describes as a highlight of her career, along with flying the so-called “Queen of the Skies”, the Boeing 747, which revolutionised air travel when it made its commercial debut in 1970, allowing globe trotters to travel further – and faster – than ever before.
“I didn’t like flying long-haul, but I did love the aircraft,” she said.
Like Politakis, Clotworthy appreciates the challenge and variety of her role, which also sees her fly Airbus A320 aircraft domestically. While the Covid-19 pandemic saw many pilots lose their jobs or have their hours drastically cut, she feels grateful to be part of a sector which is now seeking to expand as people take to the skies again.
Many New Zealand pilots head overseas, particularly to Australia, to further their careers, and King said the opportunities for women pilots returning home seem to be even better than for men. Airlines are looking to redress the gender imbalance among pilots – Jetstar, Clotworthy said, would love to have more women on board. Air New Zealand, meanwhile, is recruiting pilots on a fortnightly basis.
Flight instructors Morgan Petersen and Sophie Nuttall have both found their careers in aviation hugely rewarding, saying that being among the few women flying planes professionally has provided added motivation to succeed.
Exposed to only “standard career paths” at high school Nuttall, 23, studied for a Bachelor of Commerce at university before realising it wasn’t for her and exploring other options.
“A few family members outside my immediate family used to be pilots, which led me to look into a career in aviation and I have never looked back,” she says.
Petersen, meanwhile, had been fascinated by the concept of flying from childhood, deciding to become a pilot when taking a scenic flight over the Grand Canyon.
Having grown up playing football and often finding herself the only girl on the team, the Aucklander said she wasn’t bothered about being one of just four women in her class of 28 at Ardmore.
“There were a few things in the beginning of my training that made me feel as though I wouldn’t be a good pilot. But this just fuelled me to work and study even harder to be successful.”
Nuttall also grew up playing male-dominated sports, but admits she was initially anxious about what the dynamic of her male-dominated class would be.
“But once the first day was complete and the nerves had disappeared, getting to know all the different types of people who you carry on completing your training with made it the best experience. All the people I have met have become great friends, with some now being colleagues.”
Both women have only recently started their roles at Ardmore, which see them teach theory classes and take students on introductory flights, but have no doubts they have made the right career choice.
“I think more women should get involved as it’s an amazing career,” Nuttall says. “Why wouldn’t you want to be able to fly over the beautiful landscapes that we have here in New Zealand, and one day do the same all over the world?”
Standout moments from her time in the air so far have included her first solo flight, and successfully completing the many tests trainee pilots must pass. She admits she struggled with some aspects of the training, saying everything in aviation requires a lot of hard work, but “there is no other feeling like it when you pass a flight test that you have worked immensely hard for a long time.”
Like Petersen, she said being one of few women in her field has inspired her to work as hard as she can to prove that anyone can do anything they set their mind to.
“I have enjoyed every part of my training including the difficult times, and this is because of the people and the environment… It is like one big family at Ardmore, with many people there to support you throughout your aviation career.”
Petersen, too, said she has felt overwhelmingly encouraged throughout her career.
“Some women may be put off by being the only women in the room, but if you have the determination to succeed and believe in yourself you can achieve your goal no matter what the environment.
“In aviation you will generally find yourself surrounded by people building you up rather than tearing you down. There are also countless female aviators and women in aviation groups that are always there for a helping hand.”
With air travel resuming en masse worldwide, Petersen said it is a great time to join the sector.
“There are a lot of upcoming opportunities for women as the industry worldwide aims to have a more equal ratio of males and females.”
Clotworthy encouraged women curious about aviation to get in touch with their local aero club to arrange a trial flight.
“That way you can find out whether you actually like flying, and have all of your questions answered in a relaxed environment. We used to believe only men could drive cars, ride bicycles, or play rugby – things have changed. An instructor’s job is to break down all the skills you need to know, and teach them step by step until you are doing everything on your own. A lot of women think they could never fly an plane – I believe they would surprise themselves.”
Politakis too is a strong advocate for a career as a pilot, saying it has proved to be the adventure she always hoped it would be.
“You do have to be passionate about aviation because it is hard work, but you don’t have to know the difference between a Q300 and an ATR to get excited about flying. I got into flying because I enjoyed travelling and I wanted a job that was different.
“I think you need to be able to see yourself in a role before you can make it a reality, and we’ve been a bit slow in aviation to promote the amazing diversity of pilots that we have. But, if you are interested in becoming a pilot, just take that first step! Talk to your local aeroclub and book a trial flight, you won’t look back.
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