FLIGHT PATHS WOMEN PILOTS TAKE WING AT ALASKA. GIVING BACK: Profiles in personal commitment. PARIS: Two views from the Seine MAGAZINE DECEMBER 2017

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1 DECEMBER 2017 YOUR COMPLIMENTARY COPY MAGAZINE DECEMBER 2017 GIVING BACK: Profiles in personal commitment PAGE 86 PARIS: Two views from the Seine PAGE 144 FLIGHT PATHS WOMEN PILOTS TAKE WING AT ALASKA ABM Cover2.indd 1 11/17/17 8:53 AM

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3 Women pilots take wing at Alaska Air Group From left: Alaska Airlines First Officer Chazmin Peters, Horizon Air Captain April Eriksson, and Virgin America Captain Kimberly Gabrelcik. Good Pilots are known for their technical expertise, precision, teamwork and customer service. At Alaska Air Group, pilots go beyond that to also exemplify the company s core values: Own safety, do the right thing, be kindhearted, deliver performance and be remarkable. These professionals have a deep and unwavering commitment to outstanding flying skills. They take seriously their command responsibility and authority. At the same time, they know they are flying people and not just planes, and that mindset informs everything they do, from a willingness to truly listen to input from their teams to actively seeking opportunities to connect with guests. Women in the flight deck remain somewhat of a rarity: Only about 5 percent of commercial airline pilots in the United States are women. Like the airline industry overall, Alaska Air Group wants to foster a flow of new pilots, and it actively promotes the profession to young people. The airline supports education, with an emphasis on STEM curricula, and a special focus on encouraging female students through classroom visits and hosted events. Among the three women pilots profiled here, there is a certain sense of camaraderie, but above all, they re professional pilots doing what they love flying guests. Photos by Ingrid Barrentine decem b er 2017 A l a sk a B e yon d ABM women pilots.indd 79 79

4 First Officer Chazmin Peters alaska airlines Chazmin Chaz Peters now directs the camp that once gave her career direction. She stands at the front of a class at Eagles Aviation Camp, a program in Seattle that helps middle and high school students from populations underrepresented in aviation learn about the field. The camp was founded 22 years ago by Peters stepfather, Millison Fambles, a 25-year Alaska pilot, who also still participates. Peters sets an example of someone who, through hard work, has learned to excel. She also knows that, as a member of the Squaxin Island Tribe of South Puget Sound, with a Native American father, an Asian American mother and an African American stepfather, she can be a role model for underrepresented groups. At the camp, participants get to fly in a small plane, try a flight simulator and visit The Museum of Flight, south of Seattle. The goal of the class, however, is to encourage students to plan ahead for whatever future they may desire. Peters says she was an unmotivated student who didn t have a plan when she first attended the camp as a middle schooler in the 1990s. Despite her stepfather s job, she says, she wasn t that kid in the bomber jacket who grew up with an affinity for aviation. After her early camp experiences, Peters decided to seriously consider being an airline pilot, a decision that gave her a reason to improve academically. I made a declaration that I was going to try hard and focus and I did, she says. Peters believes hard work and careful tendencies help her do her job. I m a rule follower and a planner not a big risk-taker, she says. I want to do everything that will make things more safe. Raised in a small community near Sharing our stories, and saying you can be whatever you want to be, is important. Olympia, Washington, Peters earned an associate s degree from Big Bend Community College, in Moses Lake, while gaining flight hours necessary for a commercial pilot rating. She then returned to Olympia to be a flight instructor with Glacier Aviation. She also earned a bachelor s in urban studies from the University of Washington Tacoma. In 2006, Peters took a job with Massachusetts-based Cape Air, and five years later, she moved to Portland, Oregon, to fly for SkyWest Airlines. In 2014, Peters was hired at Alaska. Soon after, she was First Officer on a flight captained by her stepfather a proud, defining moment for her entire family. Since her hire, Peters has also made her work family proud. What she does in the community and the way she represents Alaska Airlines we re very fortunate to have her, says Carlos Zendejas, who was her supervising Base Chief Pilot. As Peters sees it, she is part of a larger community of Alaska pilots and other employees doing good works. This is one of the reasons she was intent on working at the airline. Alaska cares about the community, our camps and a lot of other programs, she says. That matters to me. In addition to running the camp, Peters volunteers for the Seattle Solo Flight Academy, helping underprivileged students gain training and flight experience. In May, she taught a seminar for Aviation Day, an annual event that aims to inspire Puget Sound area youths. And she participates in events geared toward encouraging women in aviation. Peters received help along the way and aims to pay it forward. Sharing our stories, and saying you can be whatever you want to be, is important, she says. She sees many possibilities for her own career, including working in Alaska s training department: Eventually, I d love to have a group of pilots who say, She helped me get my job; she got me started in aviation. Ben Raker december 2017 Alaska Beyond 81

5 Captain April Eriksson horizon air A WOODEN BOWL on the corner of Horizon Air Captain April Eriksson s tidy desk is filled with treats such as York Peppermint Patties, Snickers and Twix. The candy is there to create an inviting atmosphere for the more than 270 pilots she manages as Horizon s Seattle Base Chief Pilot, she says. I want the pilots to know that they re welcome to come in here, even if it s just to chat. I genuinely care about them, and want to help them advance their careers. I tell them, Come on in, sit down, get a piece of candy. And I also think it s the little things that can make a difference just making someone s day a little nicer. Ali Donway, Director of Flight Standards for all of Horizon s approximately 750 pilots, says the Seattle base is the most demanding because it has the most arrivals and departures, but Eriksson deftly juggles everything, from scheduling and regulatory compliance to mentoring pilots and working on special projects. No task is too big for her, Donway says, and she cares about her colleagues in all positions at the airline. She s also got a great personality, so if you re in a flight deck with her, it s going to be enjoyable. Eriksson says she loves flying: I enjoy the challenge of flying in various conditions and environments, and the views in the Northwest are second to none in terms of an aviation career. There s also something pretty special about knowing I m flying 76 people to places they want to go, and it s an honor to have them on my airplane. With flight crews, Eriksson stresses safety, doing the right thing, a positive attitude, teamwork, service and caring. On an especially memorable flight, one of the female passengers was turning 100 that very day, and had never flown before. Flight attendants used their creativity to craft a pretend birthday cake. Eriksson made an announcement to the other guests and gifted the centenarian There s something special about knowing I m flying people to places they want to go.... It s an honor. with a pilot-wings pin. She had tears of joy because of the treatment she got, Eriksson says. One of Eriksson s favorite captain activities is inviting youngsters to see the flight deck before departure. In fact, getting to see flight decks as a child helped inspire her to be a pilot. So did giving a school report at age 8 on Amelia Earhart. To achieve her career goal, Eriksson attended Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University s campus in Florida (where she also ran track), and the summer before her December 2009 graduation, she did an internship with Horizon, during which she realized she was also interested in airline leadership. After working as a flight instructor in San Diego, she was hired by Horizon in Two years later, she was selected for Alaska Air Group s prestigious and rigorous Developing Emerging Leaders program, and she went on to become Horizon Base Chief Pilot in Anchorage, then Portland, before taking the Base Chief Pilot role in Seattle last January. To help foster the next generation of pilots, she enjoys giving presentations at schools, connecting with college students at Women in Aviation events and representing the airline at community events. On her office wall, Eriksson displays a quote that particularly resonates with her. It s by Amelia Earhart: The most effective way to do it, is to do it. That quote shows the mentality that something might seem intimidating or challenging at first, but... just go ahead and do it, she says. Michele Andrus Dill decem b er 2017 A l a sk a B e yon d ABM women pilots.indd 83 83

6 Captain Kimberly Gabrelcik Virgin America One of the flights Kimberly Gabrelcik treasures most happened three years ago. Six original Bay Area Rosie the Riveters were honored at the White House for their work in the Kaiser Richmond Shipyards in support of World War II, and Gabrelcik captained their flight to Washington, D.C. These women are so inspirational. They re sharp, witty, strong and involved in their communities, says Gabrelcik, who now has lunch with the Rosies regularly. They shaped the course of history and showed that women could do anything. For Gabrelcik, that has meant piloting a commercial jetliner. When she was growing up near Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, she says, A number of our neighbors were pilots, but it never dawned on me that it was a job I could pursue as a woman. One evening at a dinner party, Gabrelcik met a female pilot. The two spent just 10 minutes talking, but Gabrelcik had an epiphany: Wow! This was something I could actually do. The next day, she began plotting her career in aviation. Gabrelcik enrolled in Big Bend Community College in Moses Lake, Washington, to study aviation and learn to fly before transferring to Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University to finish her degree. For her first commercial job, she piloted tours for Scenic Airlines over the Grand Canyon. She moved up to jets with now-defunct Ryan International, flying U.S. Mail as a flight engineer on Boeing 727s based in the Bay Area for the first year, then as a First Officer for two years. Then the dream job came knocking. After more than three years of flying nights six days on, eight off she began flying Boeing 737s to Hawai i for Aloha Airlines. She moved to Hawai i, met her husband, Jim (also an Aloha pilot), and they enjoyed Island living until 2008, when Aloha declared bankruptcy. Overnight, the Gabrelciks were out of work. As luck would have it, Virgin America had launched its first flights just months earlier and was looking for pilots. The ambitious new company liked Gabrelcik s professional attitude and especially her experience flying across the Pacific to the Islands. She became part of the initial cadre to certify Virgin America pilots for Hawai i flying. For the past four years, she s also served as a Line Check Pilot, working with other pilots on routine training and evaluations. Being a pilot is a job that comes with a lot of responsibility. You ve got to be a planner and processor, she says, noting that she enjoys the opportunity to work with other pilots and crew members. Even if she boards a flight with teammates she s never met, it s always like working with family, she says. Each crew member brings a shared purpose and parallel experience, and in crew briefings before each flight, Gabrelcik is a clear Even if she boards a flight with teammates she s never met, it s always like working with family. communicator on each crew member s individual responsibilities. Kim exemplifies the brand, culture and what it means to be a Virgin America pilot and teammate, says Chris Corcoran, the airline s System Chief Pilot. Flying is a passion that Gabrelcik enjoys sharing with others, as well. She coordinates fundraisers and hospital visits for Pilots for Kids at Alaska/Virgin America s San Francisco base. Gabrelcik also likes to bring kids into the flight deck before a flight, noting that it s also important for parents to witness that experience and recognize the possibilities for their child as part of the next generation of aviators. A little piece of inspiration can go a long way, Gabrelcik says. Paul Frichtl decem b er 2017 A l a sk a B e yon d ABM women pilots.indd 85 85