Every Plan A Needs a Plan B

There’s a myth in aviation that careers unfold in straight lines. Taxi out. Line up. Takeoff.

Climb. Cruise. Land.

Reality looks more like holding patterns, diversions, and the occasional aborted takeoff.

My dad’s Plan A was to become a teacher. Then he took one ride in a small airplane. That flight rewrote the flight plan, and aviation became his new Plan A. That kind of pivot makes for a great origin story. But after decades inside this industry, I can tell you that’s not how it usually works.

People don’t “accidentally” become pilots. Just like you don’t casually wander into medical school, aviation demands commitment. Years of training. Enormous financial investment. Lifestyle sacrifices. Missed holidays. Irregular schedules. And a long list of requirements that have nothing to do with skill alone.

I knew all of that when I chose aviation.

I knew that being a woman narrowed the runway--in 1989 women didn't have a lot of options. What I did have were advantages. Family airplanes meant no rental costs. Multiple siblings learning to fly meant we hired an independent instructor instead of a pricey flight school. My dad taught me to preflight an airplane before I could read. I grew up fluent in the language of logbooks, medicals, written exams, and checkrides.

I also knew something else. You can do everything right and still not qualify.

Some disqualifiers have nothing to do with talent or work ethic. Vision issues. Medical conditions. Mental health realities. Life events. I walked into aviation with my eyes wide open and a Plan B already in my pocket.

Mine was owning a daycare. Not working there. Owning it. Even at sixteen, I understood income streams and tax write-offs better than finger paint. Kids were sticky. The business wasn’t. Every, and I mean every, airline pilot I knew had a business aka tax write off.

So I learned to fly before I left for college. Decided upon Central Washington University, mainly because it was the only Flight Technology Program west of the Mississippi and I was on my way.

Then came my junior year of college. Second year in Air Force ROTC. A pilot slot secured. One of only fifty women nationwide that year.

Until I wasn’t.

You can memorize eye charts. You can’t fake the test where two dots refuse to become one. A tiny assessment. Massive consequences. My world was turned upside down by something called a BVD.

Binocular Vision Dysfunction (BVD), is a misalignment making eyes work poorly together, causing headaches, dizziness, etc., treated with microprism glasses.

Glasses a pilot couldn't fly with at that time. Suddenly, my Plan A was grounded.

Looking back, the clues were always there. I could never make binoculars work right. 3D movies that made me nauseous. But aviation culture doesn’t reward curiosity about weakness. It rewards silence and compliance. Asking questions can cost you everything.

That experience reshaped the work I do now.

Through Ascend, I focus on transparency. Honest conversations about disqualifiers. Realistic expectations. Early awareness. Not to discourage future aviators, but to protect them and the industry. The worst outcome isn’t changing direction. It’s discovering too late that no one told you the full story.

Which brings us to Prepare for Takeoff: Navigating Your Aviation Career with Confidence. A free, six-week Zoom conversation series with industry experts. We’ll talk about vision, medicals, mental health, career pathways, and yes, Plan B thinking.

This series isn’t about fear. It’s about readiness.

Because being a pilot required situational awareness, preparation, and always knowing where your Plan B landing site is.

Join me on February 10, 2026 at 7:00 via Zoom when we begin our conversation with Industry Leaders who talk about their Plan A and B.

Prepare for Takeoff: Navigating Your Career Launch

Live Attendance Bonus

1.       Students who attend live receive a free one-on-one consultation to:

·        Explore career fit and readiness

·        Identify strengths and blind spots

·        Compare aviation pathways

·        Build a realistic next-step plan

2.       Access to a community page for program participants where you can view recordings of call, ask questions and engage with speakers and other participants.