The Tribune

By ALESHA CADET

Tribune Features Reporter

acadet@tribunemedia.net

LAST May, the country’s national airline celebrated a great milestone with the induction of the first female captains to its lineup. While some look at them as legendary, they see themselves in a humble light, being thankful for their journey.

Gwendolyn Richie, Gail Saunders and Francis Smith sat down with Tribune Woman on the eve of their award presentation at the women’s empowerment event Beauties at Brunch to share stories about their achievements.

Captain Smith conquering childhood dreams

For Captain Smith, the youngest of fourteen children, she said it has been a long journey. It started at the age of 18, when Captain Smith worked full time at Kelly’s while training as a pilot on the side. Flying had been in her sight from a young age, when Ms Smith, a native of Long Island, would watch plans fly by on a daily basis.

“With my spare cash, I was able to put in an hour here and there with this field. So it took me seven years, when it would usually take three months to complete, but I was determined so I continued until I got what I wanted,” said Captain Smith.

She said as a woman, sometimes there are obstacles that may discourage you, but she wants Bahamian women to feel like they can achieve anything once they remain focused.

“I recall growing up in Long Island, our home was in an area where aircraft would fly right by our house. I knew almost every aircraft that flew over and I knew that is what I wanted to do,” she said.

“I have finally reached this part of my life and it is a humbling experience. Everything has been going good so far. I am enjoying all of the outer islands. I fly the Family Island routes and we go into basically all of the major Family Islands,” said Captain Smith.

Captain Smith said her family is excited and they all support her in every way they can with her chosen profession. “Especially my husband, whatever he can do to make me comfortable, he does that. People would ask how do I manage, and I tell them it is all about teamwork, it is so much easier,” she said.

When asked how does it feel to be working in a male dominating field, Captain Smith said it encourages her to be even stronger and more motivated than she already is. She said it is not hard demanding respect from her male counterparts because from what she has experienced so far, it is overwhelming to them to actually have a female on the side of them. “They try their best to make you comfortable and to try and point out things that can help you,” she said.

Captain Richie overcoming gender stigma

Like Captain Smith, Captain Richie grew up in the Family Islands. She is a Ragged Island native.

“I actually started very late for a pilot. I was 21 and in today’s world people start pretty much straight out of high school. The first plane I flew was a single engine two seater and it was right at Nassau’s airport. We went up just to kind of see how I would feel about it, if it was really what I wanted to do. I was so excited that (the captain) actually let me fly the plane. I was sitting in the pilot seat and it was amazing,” said Captain Richie.

Growing up on Ragged Island, Captain Richie said she remembers the regular trips made by visiting doctors to the island. She would look forward to these visits as she got to know the different pilots and the planes coming in. Today, she is proud to be the one transporting those visiting doctors and other visitors of the islands.

“When I show up to work everyday, I do what I have always done. I show up, ready to work and I try to stay professional, that way there is no question of whether things are going to be different. It is the same everyday, you show up with a professional attitude and everything kind of falls into place,” said Captain Richie.

She said the journey to Bahamasair was the hard part, as she had to prepare herself and work very hard to break the barriers.

“I think it is great that someone can be inspired by me or by my story, but my main goal is to be an inspiration to my daughter. She is five years old now, so I try to instil in her to be focused and to know that it is okay to want certain things as long as your willing to work for them,” said Captain Richie.

Even though her mother was against her decision to be a pilot in the past, Captain Richie said she has become her biggest supporter and for that, she is thankful.

“She was the number one person against it because she thought it was too dangerous and she wanted me to look for something more feminine. She harassed me for months and someone must have said something to her about leaving me alone or something. Once mom came around to the idea, she was very supportive and she is my biggest supporter. The rest of my family supported me as well and I thank God for them,” said Captain Richie.

Captain Saunders following her true love

As a toddler, Captain Saunders said she preferred toy planes, trains and all the other toys that girls did not like. She said her Sundays were never complete if her family did not take a drive to the airport, so she could watch the airplanes take off and land.

“Being in a male dominated field one would think that special privileges would be given to persons of the opposite sex. However, I found that this is not the case as the expectations are all the same be it male or female. The training is all the same, although I feel that women carry it out with more finesse,” said Captain Saunders.

For much of her life, Captain Saunders was more familiar with sea travel. She said her first time flying a plane was exhilarating and frightening at the same time. Achieving her private pilot’s license at Kittyhawk Flight School in Fort Lauderdale, Captain Saunders said she returned home to accumulate flight hours and later went to Pelican Airways to obtain a Commercial Multi-Instrument License.

So far, Captain Saunders said working in her new position has been business as usual, although she finds that she is being recognised more now. When she joined the captain ranks at Bahamasair, she did not consider her achievement as “making history”. Captain Saunders said she was always doing something she genuinely loved.

“It has inspired me to strive for even more in my life. I feel that this has been an eye opener for little Bahamian girls as it shows that they can continue to dream big and become anything that they want to be,” said Captain Saunders.