They carry it in their blood: the family heirloom that puts the mother and daughter "in the air" | Chronic

For Melanie Berardi
@MelBerardiOK

Beyond having the same blood, Linda Pauwles and her daughter Nathalie they share an ambitious life project that they already see as "family inheritance". Linda is Argentinean and the first Latin American woman to captain an airline. This profession also fascinated his firstborn, who made his first flight two weeks ago. "Growing up in an aviation-oriented home was amazing and it was inevitable to follow this path", says the young woman Chronic.

Linda lives with her husband, Frédéric, a retired pilot and his children Nathalie (20) and Patrick in Miami Springs, in the North American state of Florida. Your daughter decided to continue with "the family business", as she joked, so "fun and exciting" of this profession; and began studying at the Cadet Academy to be a pilot.

"The fact that Nathalie has chosen the job of pilot, it touches me a lot, because I know that my love for aviation will have continuity, it's like the legacy of our family."Linda said to Chronic.

The woman was born in San Pedro, a city in Buenos Aires. At the age of six, after the death of her father, she moved to the United States with her brother and mother who, at the age of 88, continues her work at the age of six. Miami International Airport. .

According to Linda, when she was a teenager, she wanted to devote herself to medicine, but she began to be interested in aviation by seeing her mother. At 25, she managed to become the youngest woman to order a commercial aircraft, a B707; and in 1988, he managed to join the American Airlines pilots team, where he became the first Hispanic captain.

Motherhood was another big challenge. He acknowledged that when his children were boys, he was "quite difficult" exercise his profession and sometimes considered resigning. "It took a lot of collaboration from the family and it was a bit difficult for me to leave them when I was small to fly in. My husband has supported me a lot and we have overcome together the hard times ", he said.

For Nathalie, the fact that her mother was a pilot was not strange, but a way "interesting enough" His parents were his example of perseverance and hard work, two models, although, when he was a child, he did not understand "how much they sacrificed" to give them "Opportunities".

The time of absence and the lack of energy that their parents sometimes had to raise two children, then two teenagers, as well as their enormous capacity for children "impartial opinion" and unconditional support are some of the memories Nathalie keeps. "Growing up in an aviation-oriented home was amazing and it was inevitable to follow this path"stressed the young woman.

"My relationship with my mother has evolved over the years, beginning as the typical dynamic of mother and daughter and, growing up, she has become a mentor and apprentice relationship. Increased with the years to understand where it started and where it was going "said the girl.

And he added: "All of my adult life was going to the university and the navy without thinking too much about what would happen when I decided to leave, and it helped me explore all the options and make me feel better. Guided in this difficult decision, as she had done countless times before. I love, admire and respect my mother and all that she has done..

In the family business

"As a child, Nathalie has demonstrated leadership, athletic ability, music and language skills, has always loved traveling and is able to make sacrifices to achieve her goals."Linda described her firstborn, who began her first flight alone on October 3rd.

Previously, the young woman was a naval intelligence officer and worked for six years for the squadrons of aviation, which allowed her to meet. "fun and challenging" It could work as a pilot, explained Nathalie. That led her to decide for him "family business".

"I can not believe that I stole alone"the young woman confessed. Nerves grabbed her when she was about to leave, but she was able to concentrate and stay calm. "After landing, my instructor asked me how I felt and all I could say was" I can not believe I just did it ", it was pretty surreal and short-lived because I had to take another flight the next day but I still could not believe that he did it "he said.

A new panorama

The reality of women who dedicate their lives to aviation has changed a lot since Linda turned 16 when she found a job with a Canadian airline and had the first prejudices and difficulties separating herself as a woman. without money and without contact.

"Although our representation in the industry remains below 10%, I see much more access and interest from women in these times"said the woman who continues to be captain in American Airlines and is a flight instructor for the Boeing 787.

"I see a lot more access and interest from women to be pilots in these times"said Captain Linda Pauwels.

In this regard, he stressed: "The large number of retirements of pilots who will reach the age of 65 over the next decade will open doors and offer more opportunities.The challenges will be less in terms of acceptance and income, but there will always be difficulties for mothers when their children are children The good thing is that we are a generation of women who live this situation and we are there to encourage and support the new generation of female pilots. ".