Ep83: LCDR Brenda Robinson: Trailblazing African-American Women’s Path in Aviation
Ready 4 Pushback
Nik Fialka
4.8 • 716 Ratings
🗓️ 30 October 2023
⏱️ 43 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Gain the confidence to reach for your dream aviation career in today’s episode with Lt. Cmdr. Brenda Robinson as she shares her journey to becoming the first African-American naval aviator. Tune in now to hear life-altering insights to fuel your path to success!
WHAT YOU’LL LEARN FROM THIS EPISODE
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How Brenda started her career in aviation
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What it’s like to be the first African-American woman to enter AOCS
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Advantages of being a flight instructor
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Challenges and lessons to applying for an airline as a woman pilot
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Aviation Camps of the Carolinas: What it is and what it does
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Timeless advice for young and aspiring pilots
RESOURCES/LINKS MENTIONED
ABOUT LCDR BRENDA ROBINSON
Brenda earned her private pilot certificate at MacArthur Airport in Islip, New York. While a senior at Dowling, a military services meeting paved Brenda's path to a military flight deck. Her 1977 selection as one of 10 women nationwide to attend the Navy's Aviation Officer Candidate School in Pensacola, FL, launched her on a path to becoming a naval aviator.
She became the first African-American female graduate from Aviation Officer Candidate School. Her entire career is peppered with firsts for African-American women in the U.S. Navy: flight instructor, evaluator, and VIP transport pilot, to name a few.
Today, Brenda shares her success stories in a number of ways. She published Success is an Attitude: Goal Achievement for a Lifetime in 1995. She is a sought-after speaker at schools and launched the Aviation Camps of the Carolinas in late 2014. She is currently working on her next book, The Very First Raven.
CONNECT WITH LCDR BRENDA
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Website: Aviation Camps of the Carolinas
CONNECT WITH US
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SPONSOR
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | You can't do this by yourself. |
| 0:09.0 | You can't learn everything by yourself. |
| 0:11.0 | Most pilots don't understand what career opportunities are available in the world of aviation. |
| 0:17.0 | They're making career decisions based on advice from friends or posts on internet forums, meaning they are taking huge risks with their livelihood without having all the details. |
| 0:28.2 | This podcast was created to help you understand the aviation industry so you can find your dream job. |
| 0:35.1 | Let's get ready for pushback. |
| 0:37.3 | Here's your host and my dad, Nick Fialca. |
| 0:41.7 | Hey, pilots. What's up? It's Nick. You're here. Another great interview at Ready for Pushback. |
| 0:48.9 | Today, I'm talking to Ms. Brenda Robinson from the aviation camps of the Carolinas. She is an amazing human who |
| 0:58.3 | has a great story. I cannot wait for you to hear this story. But I want to tell you a little bit |
| 1:04.3 | about all the great things at aviation camps of the Carolinas do. They are a great thoroughfare |
| 1:10.6 | for people who have children who are looking to get into aviation |
| 1:14.6 | get kids out of the classroom get them hands-on experience to see what it's like to be part of |
| 1:21.6 | aviation and all the different facets if you have a kid and you are interested in aviation or your kiddo is |
| 1:29.6 | interested in aviation, it's a great episode for you. If you are a pilot and you are looking to |
| 1:35.1 | volunteer or provide some insight, anything you can to just outreach help, increase your feeling |
| 1:42.4 | of self-worth and the opportunities resume building |
| 1:46.2 | or something like that, go for it. Reach out. They're always looking for volunteers, do really |
| 1:51.3 | great things with kids. This is one of my favorite conversations, so enjoy. And last but not |
| 1:58.1 | least, let's have a quick word from our sponsors because without them, |
| 2:01.4 | we wouldn't have this awesome podcast. Hey, pilot, did you just get a new conditional job offer? |
| 2:07.4 | Are you getting out of the military and going to move your family across the country? Are you |
... |
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