Headingley resident continues to fly high

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This article was published 14/05/2010 (5855 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

A young Headingley woman is flying high in a field that is dominated by males and she says that nothing is going to get in the way of her dreams.

Adelinde Grobler is a Headingley resident who first got interested in becoming a pilot when she was only four years-old. Now 21, Grobler has her private pilots licence and is working on getting her commercial licence with hopes of one day securing a job in the fflight industry.

Grobler, who also has an undergraduate degree in criminal justice, says it is difficult to become a female commercial pilot because not only is it a male dominated field, but it is also very expensive to get licensed. But thankfully Grobler is getting some help from someone who broke the trail she is now following.

On April 22 young Grobler was awarded with Rosella Bjornson Scholarship Award to help her pay for her commercial pilot training which she expects to complete in the next couple of years. In addition to the $3,000 check that came with the award, Grobler also met Bjornson who is Canada’s first female pilot on a commercial airline in North America and has been inducted into Canada’s Aviation Hall of Fame.

Grobler said it was an honour to meet such an accomplished female pilot and the advice she was given from Bjornson will be taken forward as she continues in her chosen career path.

“It was so great to meet the first women to make it in the profession because Rosella made it possible for me to pursue my dream of becoming a pilot,” Grobler says. “She gave me some good advice about how to make it in the field.”

This advice extended to what not to talk about in the cockpit with Grobler’s male contemporaries, which included religion and politics.
“She told me just to be strictly business because it is the only way male pilots will take you seriously,” Grobler recalls.

While being a women in this male dominated field is a concern of Grobler’s, she says she is also worried about the salary she will earn once she gets her first job.

“Your starting job is often a lower paying salary then some janitors,” Grobler says. “You spend a lot of money building up your training and education and the actual salary you receive for the first few jobs isn’t rewarding in the slightest.”

According to Air Canada Pilots Association the average starting salary for new commercial pilots is about $17,000, so why is Grobler pursuing becoming a pilot? She says quite simply that she loves flying and there is nothing going to get in her way of doing what she loves.

“Women shouldn’t be afraid of a entering a field that is dominated by men because there is a lot of support out their from both the male and female pilots,” Grobler states. “It is a tight knit community and a great industry.”

prescott.james@canstarnews.com