Queer pilots

Case in point: Sela recounts a phone call he once received from a girl who was concerned for a male friend who was attending a flight school in New Brunswick, and who had recently come out to his instructor. As a child, he used to fly back and forth between Israel where he was born and Canada where he grew upand loved every aspect of the journey.

When he was 16, Sela learned how to actually fly a plane. Registration includes admission to the NGPA Industry Expo presented by United Airlines, which is the second-largest pilot recruiting and aviation networking event in the U.

Here, one can find hundreds of ATP-qualified active airline pilots seeking employment, aviation products and services, and educational seminars. In addition to hosting mega industry expos, signature events and outreach initiatives throughout the year, the organization also offers scholarship opportunities for aspiring LGBT professionals in the aviation field.

I Agree. For more information on the NGPA and events, click here. Discover 10 LGBTQ+ pioneers in aerospace who have made significant contributions to aviation and space science. The next warm-up is Feb. Back then, it was a handful of gay pioneers, and because it was taboo to be out at that time, communication was done by telephone members were identified by having an airplane on their shirt.

Founded in by a small group of gay pilots who discreetly gathered in Provincetown, Massachusetts, the organization aims to promote aviation safetyprovide a social and professional network for the LGBT communityfoster equal treatment of the LGBT aviation queer through advocacy and pilot and encourage LGBT people to pursue careers in aviation.

Diversity and inclusion committees, too, are a common corporate practice at many airlines. You could say aviation culture, and its attitude towards gender and sexual orientation, had grown up a little too. After connecting with that student, and using resources available from within the NGPA, Sela and his peers were able to get that aspiring pilot a new instructor.

To say Sela has come a long way from his days as an uncomfortable young dispatcher at small flight school would be an understatement. In this day and age, one would assume the aviation industry would have caught up with embracing sexual and gender diversity in the workplace.

About us The NGPA is the largest organization of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender aviation professionals and enthusiasts from around the world. Learn more. Michael Pihach is an award-winning journalist with a keen interest in digital storytelling.

And in Canada?

A Welcoming Association for : We are pilots, flight attendants, maintenance engineers, ground crew, dispatchers, air traffic controllers, aviation administrators, military personnel, and enthusiasts

By the time he was 29, 13 years after he first enrolled in flight school, he landed his dream job as a pilot for Air Canada. Michael Pihach Michael Pihach is an award-winning journalist with a keen interest in digital storytelling. You. Michael Pihach.

[Courtesy: NGPA] Do you remember learning to write? The National Gay Pilots Association, the worldwide LGBTQ+ aviation community, was established in primarily as a social organization. By then he was openly gay and proud — something he came to terms with early on in his career thanks to the help of a fellow openly-gay pilot who became his friend and mentor.

Then, at 17, he earned his private pilot licence. But nothing is more important to Sela these days than sharing his story and being an advocate for LGBT and gender inclusiveness in the aviation industry.

Since our mission has been simple: to build, support, and unite the LGBTQ+ aviation community worldwide. He took his passion and made it happen — one of his first jobs was working as a part-time dispatcher for a small flight school outside of Toronto. Featuring various receptions, keynote speakers and exhibitors, the jam-packed weekend gives more than 1, attendees the opportunity to learn more about the industry and expand their network.

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