Pilot's Wings
First Officer Lucía Rojas opens the door of her universe and tells us about the daily dynamics of piloting and transporting thousands of tourists throughout Argentina.
- What is it about? A female airline pilot tells us about her experience in a world that, in the past, was exclusively for men.
- Why read about her? Because it is a story of passion for her profession and for flying, something that connects her with world travelers.
- The perfect scene? We suggest you read this with a coffee, a small candy and a glamping-style place in Mendoza or El Chaltén.
The streets of Almagro, one of the 48 neighborhoods of the City of Buenos Aires, have a touch of melancholy mixed with the energetic passion for tango. It is an area where you can feel the spirit of Carlos Gardel, the bohemian bars and the promises of many full moons to come. But it's also a place to fly and dive across the rooftops of new horizons.
It was in those streets –and especially in that sky– that Lucía Rojas, the protagonist of this story, grew up and studied...
The Origin of Wings
It is almost 12 o'clock at night on Sunday, April 14, 2024, and the first officer of Aerolíneas Argentinas flight 1835 announces that, in few minutes, the plane will land at the Jorge Newbery Airport in Buenos Aires. Comodoro Rivadavia, the windy city in Patagonia and the take-off point, was left behind. Also, at the end of the flight, the plane was struck by lightning, but the experienced crew managed the situation before restless passengers.
As passengers gradually exit the bird, we approach –yes, the Visit Argentina team was there– with the intention of talking to the boss who took us to the Buenos Aires air terminal. As soon as we learn that a woman was in charge of piloting the plane, we do not hesitate to ask her about her experience as a pilot –now the Royal Spanish Academy accepted a word for female pilots, pilota, puritans, take it easy– in a universe that, in other times, was linked only to men.
And Where are the women?
“When I was 15, I was already thinking about what to study after I graduated from high school," says Lucía, adding that she likes the English language very much. In those years of adolescence –and mental flight– she was also very aware of flights, literally, thanks to the fact that her father was, at that time, a pilot of Aerolíneas Argentina. "At that age, I asked him to take me with him on the flights he was making within Argentina. Back then, he would spend the night in some provinces, so in his spare time away, he took me to different places," she recalls enthusiastically and adds that "every time I went on the flights it was something ordinary, I felt comfortable and happy to be on the plane, it was my father's job, for me it was as if it were his office."
Everything was going well, following the rhythm of turbines, take-offs and landings "until one day, after several flights, I asked my father 'how did you manage to get here?'" And in that moment, almost like a premonition of her future, Lucía reveals her astonishment when she realized that she had never seen a woman pilot.
“Are there any women pilots, dad?”, she asked. As soon as she expressed her concern, Lucía assures that when her father looked at her to answer, he already knew she wanted to be a pilot like him. "He told me: 'Yes, there are, but few, it's a very macho environment, Lucía”.
Reinforced Conviction
Her father's answer about female pilots shocked Lucia. However, nothing stopped her from reaching her goal. "It caught my attention and I wanted to find out more. So I asked him again: 'What do you mean there are few? What can I do to get to where you are?'".
Side by side, her father told her the secrets of the career: how to get started, the high cost "and that it hadn’t started where he was taking me now." At the beginning there are small planes.
Her father definitely played a key role. Lucía acquired valuable knowledge from him to become a pilot and, later, join an airline. "He said, 'I can take you on a test flight, where the career starts, to see if you really like it.'"
So, when she was 16, she traveled with her father to San Andrés de Giles (Province of Buenos Aires, just over an hour from the Argentine capital). They went to a glider club, where Lucía was encouraged to get on a glider –pilots call it flight baptism. "And I loved it," she confesses. "I told my dad, 'I want to get started now.'”
Cockpit to Cockpit
As Lucía was 16 years old, her father suggested that she waited until she turned 17 so that she could go to the testing sites on her own. Since they lived in the Buenos Aires neighborhood of Almagro, it was very difficult for them to get there every weekend.
The waiting, when wise and sensible, always pays off. That's why during her last year of high school, she began flying at the Aeroclub Centro Universitario de Aviación in the district of La Matanza, a few minutes from the capital, on weekends. “That's where I got my first pilot's license, which we call Private Airplane Pilot (PPA). At the same time, that year I also did the Cabin Crew course, I wanted to have the chance to get a job in that area as well." It was all about airplanes for me.
The progress went hand in hand with the calling she felt from the beginning. In 2013, Lucía obtained the Cabin Crew and Private Pilot license. A year later, while she continued to add hours of piloting in the aeroclub of La Matanza, a friend proposed that they make a partnership and buy a small plane to keep increasing hours. "It helped me a lot to manage my schedules because in 2015 I joined Aerolíneas Argentinas as a cabin crew." Working in the Argentine flag carrier helped her financially to maintain her plane and pay for her flight time. "Of course, my father accompanied me in all this achievement and effort" she says.
2019 was a pivotal year for Lu. After so many years of preparation, of pursuing a dream and of being absolutely faithful to her convictions, her opportunity finally came: she applied to be a pilot in JetSmart. "I went through all the instances and got in. I would fulfill my dream of being an airline pilot and, on top of that, I felt proud and honored to be told that I would be the first woman to join the company”.
The already confirmed commander Rojas spent three years in the low-cost company. In 2022, fate gave her a familiar invitation: Aerolíneas Argentinas was carrying out a selection process and Lucía must apply. "Aerolíneas is a company that I already knew and was very fond of because, apart from being our flag carrier, it meant a lot to me, it was the company where my father worked for 40 years."
Of course, she passed all the instances and is currently one of the pilots of Aerolíneas –by the way, we thank her for taking us back home–.
All equal before the air law
It is very important to highlight the confidence that Lucía transmits in all her answers. Probably, this firm temper is one of the best qualities for her to move naturally among her peers and not perceive differences in an environment that, in the past, was related to men. “I feel equal when it comes to being able to work in a place that used to be thought to be for men. I am proud and honored to have the opportunity to work," she says and recalls that one of the reasons why she chose this profession was the shock she felt when she learnt that, back then, there were few women. "Breaking that stereotype makes me very happy and honored. I feel that now there are already many women in the environment, and it is more balanced."
But you can always go for more and, according to Lucia, you can adjust details that have to do with habits. “It's true that some people are amazed (when they see a woman pilot). You can take it as 'that's good!', but at the same time you always think that it shouldn't be surprising, but rather something natural. I feel that you have to keep getting used to this or break this amazement, which is good, but at the same time it should be something normal." In any case, our star pilot says that, currently, airlines aim to add more women in the cockpit: "I always felt comfortable, I never felt different because of my position. I see this reaction especially in passengers, there is no difference in the company."
To close the female view, Lucía leaves us with another concept to pay close attention to. "Because I was a woman and we were few, I always felt more observed, but I think it's something personal and all female pilots feel more observed than, perhaps, male pilots who go more unnoticed as men. Beyond that, the profession itself requires great effort and solving obstacles throughout one's career. Career is time and money: you have to have time to add flight hours and, at the same time, have money to pay for those hours."
The sky is clear and only a faint breeze is blowing. Lucia begins to say goodbye to us. Once we say thanks and the typical last words before finishing conversation, she tells us that after the Argentine National Football Team won the Qatar 2022 World Cup, there was a lot of repercussion among international tourists regarding our country: "they wanted to know where Messi comes from. That helped us a lot! I can tell you that I see a lot of tourists in Ushuaia, El Calafate, El Chaltén, and also many Americans and Europeans in Mendoza,our country offers excellent landscapes and quality gastronomy."
The time has come to say goodbye –see you later, better– to get back to her metier: flying. She fastens her seatbelt, does the last check-ups, and looks straight ahead. "Flying is my passion and my calling. I am very grateful to be able to realize my passion, to dedicate myself to working in what I love, flying." There was no better landing of the talk, she finally took off from us.