Fairer skies ahead for new pilots

A flying college in western Sydney is turning the tide on an alarming gender imbalance throughout the aviation industry.

Worldwide, a mere 5 per cent of commercial pilots are female, according to statistics from the International Society of Women Airline Pilots.

But initiatives such as the 25 by 25 program at the Sydney Flight College in Bankstown encourages more females into a career in aviation and breaks dow stereotypes commonly associated with pilots.

"We're really trying to raise awareness and attract female pilots into the industry, who otherwise might have not seen it as an opportunity open to them,"
SFC chief executive Joseph Pilo said.

The college currently has an impressive 18 per cent female participation rate in the cohort and aims to increase that to 25 per cent by 2025.

The program helps realise the lifelong dreams of women such as Maria Hardas.

"From a very young age l wanted to become a pilot," the 21-year-old said.

"I used to see planes taking off and landing and thought that was really cool.

"I'd like to one day fly internationally." Aspiring student Deanne Rodrigues acknowledged the imbalance but can already see it changing.

"I don't think there's a definite reason, it's just how it happened throughout history," the 18-year-old said.