If Abingdon wasn’t initially sure of becoming a pilot, she certainly did see becoming a watchmaker in her future. One of the traditions of obtaining your commercial pilot’s license is being presented with a watch, but they’re all made for men. 

 

Instead of having a big bulky piece on her wrist, Abingdon decided to create one for women. She is now a full on business owner creating and modifying watches with the Abingdon Company. 

 

It was this small detail that opened her eyes to the need for different voices in the aviation industry. All of the uniforms are designed by men for men. The cockpit furniture is the same. Everything about the aviation industry is directed at white males, but things are changing. 

 

Listen as Abingdon shares a ton of resources that women and people of color can use to make their way into aviation. She is an inspiration and a brilliant entrepreneur. She faces adversity in the watch and aviation industry and she’s squashing it day after day. Learn how.

 

Links and Resources:

Alibaba.com

Flying Wild Alaska

OBAP

AOPA

United Aviate program

LPA

NGPA

EAA

Connect with Abingdon:

The Abingdon Co.

Facebook | Twitter | Pinterest | YouTube | Instagram 

Abingdon Foundation

Twitter | Facebook

Connect with Siobhan: 

Industry Explorers
Industry Explorers Facebook Group
Industry Explorers on Facebook
Industry Explorers on Instagram
Industry Explorers on YouTube
Industry Explorers on TikTok
Book a Connection Call

 

Love the show and want to help support us? Donate to our Ko-Fi Account. We love providing you with these stories, tips, and recommendations, but it takes a lot of time and resources. Keep the podcast going and donate today!

 

In this episode:

[00:19] Welcome back to part 2 of my conversation with Abingdon.

[01:32] She discusses whether boys are better at math than girls.

[03:09] I talk about STEAM, which adds art to the standard STEM program.

[04:34] I speak about the rigging and design needed for the show KA.

[05:55] Listen as Abingdon shares about being a flight instructor for the show Flying Wild Alaska.

[09:58] She discusses how she handles adversity in both the watch and pilot world.

[11:23] She shares how she can be calm and calculating with checklists.

[16:36] Abingdon gives some resources for anyone wanting to be a pilot.

[19:29] Be smart enough to be dumb enough to ask is your best resource.

[23:19] Flying for United Airlines pays up to 600,000 a year.

[24:03] Listen as Abingdon discusses why she believes diversity in aviation is important.

[28:05] EAA has a young eagles program where anyone under 18 can fly.

[30:01] She describes the Abingdon Foundation.

[31:24] She discusses how you can support her foundation and projects.

[34:51] Abingdon’s final words are “Act as though it’s impossible to fail!”