First Officer
My name is Kim Celce, and I live in Cary, NC. Since I travel so much for
work, I have no children and no pets.
I didn't decide to become a pilot until I was in my second year in college, but
once I made the decision, I had a lot of people who supported me. First
and foremost were my parents. They supported me 110%, not only with
money, but also with encouragement. They were so wonderful; I don't
know what I would have done without them! I also had a mentor in a
former WASP (Women's Air Service Patrol) from my hometown. WASPs
were women in World War Two who flew new aircraft from the factories to
air bases to be used during the war. She was also a great source of
encouragement and advice for me during all of my training and my career.
Next to my parents, she was my greatest cheerleader!!
I decided to become a pilot because, at the time, I read an article about
becoming a pilot and in the article it talked about the need for pilots and the
good salaries they made. I also took a sight-seeing ride at my hometown
airport and absolutely fell in love with it! Nobody stood in my way once I
made the decision. The only thing that tried to stand in my way were the
circumstances of the industry, how long it takes to get where you want to
be, and Sept.11th, of course. The most important thing I learned was to
never, ever give up, and if you want something bad enough, nothing can
stand in your way! It takes a lot of time and patience, and you have to be
willing to keep pressing toward your goal through all the ups and downs.
You have to be willing and able not to get paid very much as you are
building your hours, and you have to be willing to move a lot too - you have
to go wherever you can to fly and build your time. Most importantly, no
matter what, just keep going!! It does take a lot of patience and
perseverance, but if I can do it, you can do it!!
I got my private pilot's license at my hometown airport during one of my
summer breaks from college. I had to wait to get a flying slot in my
college's flight program, so I decided to get a head start and get my private
license. Once a slot opened up for me, I got an Associate's Degree in
Aviation Technology at Ohio University. I was already halfway finished with
my Bachelor's Degree at Ohio University, and I didn't want to just quit that,
especially since it was in teaching and I thought it would be something I
could fall back on if flying didn't work out. I also knew it would come in
handy to teach flying lessons to build my time, so I got my aviation degree
while finishing my teaching degree. I don't own an airplane, but I have
flown all kinds of airplanes while teaching and building my time. I started
flying Cessna 150s, 152s, and 172s as an instructor in Niagara Falls, NY. I
also flew Piper Cherokees and Arrows while instructing at FlightSafety in
Vero Beach, Florida. To build my multi-engine time, I flew a Beech
Dutchess, a Piper Aztech, and a Piper Seminole.
My first job outside of instructing was with a company in Maryland, and I
flew a King Air 200. I received a lot more multi-engine time and some
valuable turbo-prop time flying the King Air. I then was hired at a
commuter airline where I flew a Beech 1900. I was a first officer and a
captain on this airplane, and it was my first type rating. While I was at the
commuter, I worked on and received my type rating on the Boeing 737,
which I paid for on my own to interview at Southwest Airlines. While at the
commuter, I went from the Beech 1900 to the CRJ as a captain. This was
my first jet that I flew on a regular basis, and I built valuable jet time at the
commuter. After the commuter I went to a cargo company. I flew a Boeing
747 there as a First Officer. I got to fly all over the United States, but we
also flew to Korea, China, Japan, and South America.
Now I fly at Omni Air International. I am a First Officer on a Boeing 757 and
767. We fly passengers, and most of what we do is to fly for the
Department of Defense. We fly the military soldiers all over the world!
I absolutely love my job!! It is a lot of fun flying to other countries and
seeing how other people in the world live! It is also fun flying with the
people I fly with. I am one of only about 5 female pilots at this company,
but all of the guys treat me great! Nobody treats me differently because I
am a female! The best part of my job is the family feeling there, and when
we have time off at the hotel, we all go out to dinner together and explore
the country. We have a lot of fun, and there is always something to do!
When I tell people I'm a pilot, I always get a double-take glance, followed by
them saying they can't believe I'm a pilot! Now that I am flying a 757/767,
when I tell people that that's what I fly, they are even more surprised! I
look a lot younger than I am, so people are really surprised that someone
my age flies an airplane that big! It makes me feel a great sense of
accomplishment when I get a reaction like that! A funny story from when I
was a First Officer on the Beech 1900 at the commuter: On the 1900, it
only has 19 seats, so there is no flight attendant. It was the First Officer's
job to give the passenger briefing and walk back and make sure everyone
had their seat belts on. On one flight, after doing this, a little old lady that
was sitting in the first seat looked at me and said, "Oh, I'm sorry honey, am
I in your seat?" I told her no, that I sit up there, and I pointed to the flight
deck. She then said, "Isn't that nice? The Captain lets you sit up there and
keep him company!" It was very funny - she thought I was the flight
attendant, even though I had my uniform on!
What role do skills in math, science, engineering and technology play
in supporting your job? Skills in math and science play a huge role in
helping me in my job. I use these two the most, especially math. If you
want to become a pilot, I suggest a strong background in these subjects. I
do the weight and balance before each flight, so math plays a huge role.
What activities do you suggest for young children or young adults to
prepare them for a career like yours? I suggest having a strong
background in math and science, and studying hard to learn and
understand these subjects. Also, get involved in aviation programs they
have now for young women interested in becoming pilots. Since you are
reading this, you are on a good website to get ideas and learn about
upcoming activities!
My name is Kim Celce, and I live in Cary, NC. Since I travel so much for
work, I have no children and no pets.
I didn't decide to become a pilot until I was in my second year in college, but
once I made the decision, I had a lot of people who supported me. First
and foremost were my parents. They supported me 110%, not only with
money, but also with encouragement. They were so wonderful; I don't
know what I would have done without them! I also had a mentor in a
former WASP (Women's Air Service Patrol) from my hometown. WASPs
were women in World War Two who flew new aircraft from the factories to
air bases to be used during the war. She was also a great source of
encouragement and advice for me during all of my training and my career.
Next to my parents, she was my greatest cheerleader!!
I decided to become a pilot because, at the time, I read an article about
becoming a pilot and in the article it talked about the need for pilots and the
good salaries they made. I also took a sight-seeing ride at my hometown
airport and absolutely fell in love with it! Nobody stood in my way once I
made the decision. The only thing that tried to stand in my way were the
circumstances of the industry, how long it takes to get where you want to
be, and Sept.11th, of course. The most important thing I learned was to
never, ever give up, and if you want something bad enough, nothing can
stand in your way! It takes a lot of time and patience, and you have to be
willing to keep pressing toward your goal through all the ups and downs.
You have to be willing and able not to get paid very much as you are
building your hours, and you have to be willing to move a lot too - you have
to go wherever you can to fly and build your time. Most importantly, no
matter what, just keep going!! It does take a lot of patience and
perseverance, but if I can do it, you can do it!!
I got my private pilot's license at my hometown airport during one of my
summer breaks from college. I had to wait to get a flying slot in my
college's flight program, so I decided to get a head start and get my private
license. Once a slot opened up for me, I got an Associate's Degree in
Aviation Technology at Ohio University. I was already halfway finished with
my Bachelor's Degree at Ohio University, and I didn't want to just quit that,
especially since it was in teaching and I thought it would be something I
could fall back on if flying didn't work out. I also knew it would come in
handy to teach flying lessons to build my time, so I got my aviation degree
while finishing my teaching degree. I don't own an airplane, but I have
flown all kinds of airplanes while teaching and building my time. I started
flying Cessna 150s, 152s, and 172s as an instructor in Niagara Falls, NY. I
also flew Piper Cherokees and Arrows while instructing at FlightSafety in
Vero Beach, Florida. To build my multi-engine time, I flew a Beech
Dutchess, a Piper Aztech, and a Piper Seminole.
My first job outside of instructing was with a company in Maryland, and I
flew a King Air 200. I received a lot more multi-engine time and some
valuable turbo-prop time flying the King Air. I then was hired at a
commuter airline where I flew a Beech 1900. I was a first officer and a
captain on this airplane, and it was my first type rating. While I was at the
commuter, I worked on and received my type rating on the Boeing 737,
which I paid for on my own to interview at Southwest Airlines. While at the
commuter, I went from the Beech 1900 to the CRJ as a captain. This was
my first jet that I flew on a regular basis, and I built valuable jet time at the
commuter. After the commuter I went to a cargo company. I flew a Boeing
747 there as a First Officer. I got to fly all over the United States, but we
also flew to Korea, China, Japan, and South America.
Now I fly at Omni Air International. I am a First Officer on a Boeing 757 and
767. We fly passengers, and most of what we do is to fly for the
Department of Defense. We fly the military soldiers all over the world!
I absolutely love my job!! It is a lot of fun flying to other countries and
seeing how other people in the world live! It is also fun flying with the
people I fly with. I am one of only about 5 female pilots at this company,
but all of the guys treat me great! Nobody treats me differently because I
am a female! The best part of my job is the family feeling there, and when
we have time off at the hotel, we all go out to dinner together and explore
the country. We have a lot of fun, and there is always something to do!
When I tell people I'm a pilot, I always get a double-take glance, followed by
them saying they can't believe I'm a pilot! Now that I am flying a 757/767,
when I tell people that that's what I fly, they are even more surprised! I
look a lot younger than I am, so people are really surprised that someone
my age flies an airplane that big! It makes me feel a great sense of
accomplishment when I get a reaction like that! A funny story from when I
was a First Officer on the Beech 1900 at the commuter: On the 1900, it
only has 19 seats, so there is no flight attendant. It was the First Officer's
job to give the passenger briefing and walk back and make sure everyone
had their seat belts on. On one flight, after doing this, a little old lady that
was sitting in the first seat looked at me and said, "Oh, I'm sorry honey, am
I in your seat?" I told her no, that I sit up there, and I pointed to the flight
deck. She then said, "Isn't that nice? The Captain lets you sit up there and
keep him company!" It was very funny - she thought I was the flight
attendant, even though I had my uniform on!
What role do skills in math, science, engineering and technology play
in supporting your job? Skills in math and science play a huge role in
helping me in my job. I use these two the most, especially math. If you
want to become a pilot, I suggest a strong background in these subjects. I
do the weight and balance before each flight, so math plays a huge role.
What activities do you suggest for young children or young adults to
prepare them for a career like yours? I suggest having a strong
background in math and science, and studying hard to learn and
understand these subjects. Also, get involved in aviation programs they
have now for young women interested in becoming pilots. Since you are
reading this, you are on a good website to get ideas and learn about
upcoming activities!
 |
| Using aviation to entertain and educate girls about their limitless opportunities... |
TM
| Using aviation to entertain and educate girls about their limitless opportunities... |
TM
| Using aviation to entertain and educate girls about their limitless opportunities... |
TM
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