Antigua St. John’s - When I met up with 24-year-old Fiona Austin McDonald to do this interview she was dressed in casual attire - and the stares we (well, she) got while we were walking to our location!
It’s no wonder that, according to her, even though members of the public see her as plain as daylight dressed in her uniform looking to take up duty, they still come up to her and ask, “Are you a pilot?”

“It’s a question I get so often nearly everywhere I go that I’m so used to it by now, although sometimes I grow a little tired of answering the obvious. Just the other day, I went to a particular restaurant where I’ve been going for so long and one of the workers asked me, ‘Are you a pilot?’ I was like, what?”

McDonald, who flies with LIAT, said when she went to her father Wade Austin McDonald, who is a Training Captain with LIAT and told him of her career decision and that she wanted to go to flight school, all he said was ‘OK’.

“Daddy said OK... just like that and I noticed that he did not say anything else about it and I went back to him after about two months and said ‘Daddy remember I told you I want to go to flight school?’ And he turned and said to me, ‘Yes, but I didn’t realise you were serious’. And when he realised I was, it was full speed ahead in preparation for that.”

I asked Ms. McDonald if she didn’t think her father was shocked or was between two minds, as is the response from some parents when their children choose certain types of careers.

The vibrant young woman quickly said, “Oh no, not Daddy! He always encouraged us to do what we wanted to do...do what we are passionate about and reach for the stars. And another thing too, the ‘love’ for flying runs in the family. Apart from my father who’s been doing that for many years, there is my brother; he is a pilot and my stepmom is a flight attendant. And let me say, it’s not because of all of that - this is just something I really wanted to do.”

McDonald said her interest to take up flying struck her via two experiences.

“I was a flight attendant with Caribbean Star at the time and one evening when we were coming into Antigua, the pilot had the aircraft at a certain angle where I could see the runway brightly lit and how great it looked and I said right there and then, ‘You know what, I want to be up in front there taking charge, not back here’.

“Another experience was when I met this young female pilot, a Jamaican. I saw her on the ramp and she was with her male counterparts and the respect she got was just remarkable and that impressed me a great deal.”

McDonald has some concerns, however, about how the public perceives the roles and functions of female pilots versus her male counterparts.

Although in an era where the gender gap in some careers seems to be closing in, there is still much further to go.
“Just the other day it was all females in control of the flights and remarks were made like ‘wait a all women a fly today, a whey de man and dem?’ Another comment I get a lot is ‘you look like a teenager, you sure you can handle yourself, you look young ….young.’ Almost every day I get that and it just goes to show how some people label certain jobs as being a ‘man’s or woman’s job’. And it is perceived that women are a little softer than men, but from what I see both male and female pilots do equally great jobs in any circumstances there is no differentiation you just have to perform with all the zeal and confidence that you have.”

The young pilot said there are a lot of decisions to be made when it comes to flying and pilots have to be in tiptop shape both physically and mentally.

She said that’s why LIAT ensures its pilots get routine medical checks and simulator training every six months, and attend ground school.

Actually, McDonald’s turn for ground school training in Canada comes up shortly.

I asked her what’s her most memorable and challenging experiences since she’s been flying for the past three years.

She said, “It’s this time when I was called out to work and had to return an Antigua/Dominica flight back to Antigua on one engine. It was my first one-engine landing and because of the superb training we got with LIAT, I was very comfortable with it. Actually, my dad was more shaken up than I was. Daddy has never really experienced the single engine with LIAT, but I think, he’s had some minor incidents with companies he flew with before in Guyana, but all in all, I was okay.

“In terms of my most challenging moment, it was when there was a lightning/thunder storm and my female captain was so at ease and I saw the lightning striking dangerously causing damage on the ramp in this terrible weather. I was like, being a young First Officer, I was thinking…are we still going and yes we did. My captain was so cool, calm and collective, she didn’t flinch and we navigated around the storm and came through safely.”

McDonald said she can see why there is a perception regarding pilots, more so the males whereby some people say they have an ego.