This Ontario pilot's book details her exciting career. But pursuing aviation wasn't always easy

Lola Reid Allin has gone through many firsts.

The Belleville resident holds many extraordinary titles, including pilot, scuba diver, instructorand professional public speaker to name a few.

Through it all, she's seen success as the first first female chief flying instructor at the Waterloo-Wellington Flight Centre, the first woman to fly a Twin Otter 300 series aircraft on a scheduled flight and the first female instructor at an airport in the interior of British Columbia.

Now, she's writing all about it in her new book Highway to the Sky: An Aviator's Journey.

Set to hit bookstores in September, it chronicles Allin's journey from a lonesome childhood to aviation success in a field that has largely only seen male pilots for decades.

In fact, when Allin was finishing off her training to obtain a commercial license in 1979, she found herself scouting airports based on whether she could get female instructors to guide her through training.

"In 1979, there were very few female commercial pilots," she said. "There were quite a few female pilots who had a private pilot license which is great, but not too many female instructors."

Then, when she heard that the flight centre in Breslauhad not one, but two female instructors, she knew she was set. But by the time she went to get her instructor's license, those two women were gone.

It's similar to circumstances Allin would face throughout her life, as she made her way through aviation despite the lack of female pilots in her field.

She spoke to CBC K-W'sThe Morning Editionguest host Josette Lafleur about her career and what being a woman in aviation is like.

Josette Lafleur: What made you decide to become an aviator in the first place?

Lola Reid Allin: Years ago, when I was growing up near Trenton, Ontario where now Canada's largest air force base is, in 1959, they formed the Golden Hawks, Canada's first aerobatic team. And our house was on the flight path. So it was really exciting. And I didn't then think, 'oh, I really want to be a pilot.'

But then in 1962, I took my first flight. We as a family took our flight. So we went from Toronto to Regina and it was pretty exciting. It was epic, really. Because in 1962 people just didn't hop on airplanes the way we do today. And there was probably a good reason because there were two turboprops. We couldn't fly nonstop from Toronto to Regina. We had to get off in Winnipeg and then Winnipeg board a different, smaller turboprop to Regina. The weather was terrible. A turbopropreally meantyou couldn't fly above the clouds. You just couldn't fly that high. So I thought the weather was exciting. It was August and there were thunderstorms and it was super exciting, it was like a ride at the fair.

Ontario pilot pens memoir to share career experiences, highlight women's issues

3 months ago

Duration 5:20

An Ontario woman with a storied career as a pilot is now hoping to share her experience and inspire others. Lola Reid Allin had a love for flying since she was a child, but pursuing aviation decades ago as a woman wasn't easy.

Josette Lafleur: Industry safety standards have changed, but the industry on the other side has also changed over the years. Lola, what have you noticed?

Lola Reid Allin: What I noticed initially was after I got out of flying, I branched into my second love, which is ethnography or anthropology, specifically the Maya of Mesoamerica. So Guatemala, Belize, Mexico, El Salvador, and Honduras. So I would fly down to those areas and once again, there were no nonstop flights. So I'd have to, in most cases, fly to an American hub: Atlanta, Houston or Miami. And I'd see lots of female pilots and was like, yes, this is great. They're commercial pilots. They were all first officers, but you have to start somewhere and build time. But then I learned that even though there were more female pilots, the percentage remains the same and in fact has been stagnant at about five to six per centsince the 1980s.

Josette Lafleur: What kinds of barriers do women face getting into this industry?

Lola Reid Allin: Well first of all, we don't have enough visibility. We need to get critical mass. I mean, we're 51 per centof the population, five per centof the commercial airline population. So what we need is more visibility, we need to talk about female pilots like we're doing today. We need to be out there in the community and we are doing that. We have girls in aviation days throughout North America, throughout the world where girls get a chance, and young women get a chance, to go up in an airplane. They learn more about where they can learn to fly. And there's also the perceptions. Part of it is visibility. Part of it is still the perception that those careers aren't quite right for girls.

Josette Lafleur: Let's talk about your book then, because that is increasing visibility.

Lola Reid Allin: It talks about my first flight just briefly, because as a memoir usually focuses on one segment of your life or one aspect. So in this case, it's aviation and all the barriers that I faced. And first of all, I didn't know any female pilots. All the pilots I knew or I'd seen were militarypilots. There was a small airport, a grass field strip at our hometown in Belleville. But I didn't know any of those people. So women weren't perceived as able to do that which is not true.

For years we heard we shouldn't be a commercial pilot because you'll be away from yourhome and your family. And yet all the, I'm going to call them stewardesses, they're now flight attendants but all the stewardesses were all female. They were away just as much. So it's a matter of perception of not being able to take control, to have that authority and to not have legitimate power.

Josette Lafleur: What message do you hope people take away when they pick up your book?

Lola Reid Allin: That in spite of the obstacles and the naysayers, you can do it. I mean, you may find when you take your private pilot license training that it's not for you, but at least you've tried. And taking that first step is really important. And there are organizations today, Women in Aviation International as well, that you can reach out to. Andat most airports now, there's usually one or two female pilots or female instructors, which is great. So you can find someone to chat with.

Listen |Author chat with Lola Reid Allin:

The Morning Edition - K-W10:33Lola Reid Allin is a pilot who has penned a memoir about her life and career in the air

Lola Reid Allin has gone through many firsts. She was the first first female chief flying instructor at the Waterloo-Wellington Flight Centre, the first woman to fly a Twin Otter 300 series aircraft on a scheduled flight and the first female instructor at an airport in the interior of British Columbia.Now, she's writing all about it in her new bookHighway to the Sky: An Aviator's Journey.