As a GA pilot, the statement here specifically excludes me, and that’s really unfortunate.
6
Ron Minter
I would agree with Andrew on this phrasing. On top of that, the fact that you are left-handed is the only thing people remember about you. Thank you!
Too bad!
It may be well intended, but seems written from a professional pilot perspective. This takes things full circle…your statement now clearly states you are for professionals and not folks like me and my friends who fly because we love flying. For years, tens of thousand as of gay General Aviation pilots who fly for fun and sport have noticed waning support from NPGA.
“If you aspire to work as an aviation professional, please apply,” she said in a statement. Other times it is more insidious and passive-aggressive such as when the LGBTQ+ individual finds their opportunities for advancement curtailed or their work hours reduced.
It can also be more direct, says Gambino, such as questioning a person’s airmanship because they identify as LGBTQ+.
“In the flight environment, there are those who will question someone’s aviation capability based on what they do not understand or do not accept,” says Gambino. “This is dead wrong and has no basis in fact.
The NGPA is offering over $500,000 in scholarship funds to its membership this year, honoring its 25-year anniversary milestone in supporting the global lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and other (LGBTQ+) members of the aviation community.
Miriam Williams, chair of the NGPA Scholarship Committee, encouraged aspiring aviation professionals to send in applications.
The person telling the story was at the podium addressing the room—he paused, then remarked that he expected to see Warfield running toward the podium in full Mama Bear mode.
The job applicant didn’t want to work at that business after hearing their point of view, says Warfield, adding, “She ended up getting ten other job offers after that.”
Basic Membership and Ally membership in the NGPA runs $49 per year, a student membership is $20, a Lifetime individual membership is $1,200.
Meg Godlewski
Meg Godlewski has been an aviation journalist for more than 24 years and a CFI for more than 20 years.
“This was a time of don’t ask, don’t tell,” says Kit Warfield, a retired flight instructor and seaplane pilot living in Seattle. “The idea is to get you to a better place.”
NGPA Scholarships
Another way NGPA supports its members is through scholarships.
Many find themselves rejected by their families or they have to hide in the workplace—Warfield says she never had this issue, but one of her aviation employers remarked that if someone had issues with LGBTQ+, they were not people they wanted as customers.
Not everyone feels that way, notes Warfield, who recounted a story of one of their members who was denied a job because on her resume she had noted that she had received flight training scholarships from the NGPA.
“She was told, ‘We would like to hire you, but we don’t agree with your lifestyle, and we think you are going to hell,’” says Warfield.
The story was told at an NGPA banquet with hundreds of people in attendance.
I do applaud NGPA, at this point, for recognizing the need for diversity in its role of inclusion, so perhaps, we can do a better job of communicating that issue.
4
Robert Eicholz
Edit: The NGPA changed their post to include enthusiasts. The establishment of an educational fund was one of the first actions of the group in its early days.
It was an opportunity to step out and meet people who were like you.”
Warfield served as chairman of the NGPA Education Fund, then served as co-chair of the main organization for several years. To be eligible, applicants must also be members of the NGPA, and membership can be purchased or renewed on the organization’s website.
The NGPA is an international non-profit organization based in Minneapolis and founded in 1990.
It is celebrated in June to commemorate the 1969 Stonewall Uprising in Manhattan, New York, which was a turning point for the Gay Liberation Movement in the United States.
When FLYING caught up with Gambino, he had just returned from the inaugural Pride celebration in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.
“We were invited by CR Pride. It’s a lonely, marginalizing existence.
