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A picture of a mother and daughter who are both pilots and worked the same shift to fly a commercial plane has gone viral on Twitter, and has sparked a conversation about women in aviation.
According to Independent, Wendy Rexon and her daughter Kelly Rexon flew the Delta air lines flight from Los Angeles to Atlanta as a team.
The picture was taken by awestruck passenger John Watret, who posted it on Twitter captioning it:
“Just flew from LAX to ATL on Delta piloted by this mother daughter flight crew. Great flight. Inspiring for young women.”
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*Inspiring for young women. https://t.co/aowvw1Tcqr
— John R. Watret (@ERAUWatret) March 17, 2019
Speaking to Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, John says he found out about the Rexons after a woman boarding the aircraft asked a flight attendant if her children could visit the flight deck.
When they returned, he overheard them talking about how it was a mother and daughter flying the plane. “I thought that was amazing. I was in awe, and asked if I could visit them, too,” he said.
During his short visit, he discovered that Kelly’s sister is a pilot too, an even better twist to the story.
The post has been widely shared and has more than 50 000 likes and more than 17 000 retweets, as many people note how inspired they are by the two.
“It’s still so rare to have women pilots. A legacy crew like this in the cockpit? Is amazing,” one Twitter user wrote.
Another added, “Inspiring to all, in a white male dominated profession (with all the fixes) in both the USA & Canada, not just women should be thrilled that this is finally happening in 2019.”
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This is my favorite thing I’ve seen in a while!! Amazing
— Jamie Grace (@jamiegraceh) March 17, 2019
John, thank you so much for the shout-out of this dynamic duo. We are very #DeltaProud of Wendy and Kelly! #KeepClimbing OCH
— Delta (@Delta) March 23, 2019
According to the Federal Aviation Administration’s 2017 data obtained by Women in Aviation International, women pilots represent only six percent of the total pilot population.
The data reveals that in 2017, only 42 694 of 609 306 pilots were women. That makes the chances of having two female pilots who are in the cockpit – let alone mother and daughter, incredibly rare.
This comes after an author shared a heartwarming video of two women Muslim pilots from Saudi Arabia, a country that only lifted a ban on female car drivers last year.
READ MORE: Sisters need to do more for themselves: What an all-women crew flight across the Atlantic taught me
Female Muslim pilots from the UAE flew from Abu Dhabi to Riyadh, Saudi Arabia and back. This is a huge accomplishment in the Middle East where culture and religion usually stand in the way of such great achievements. pic.twitter.com/fCWA0qsuVu
— Imam Mohamad Tawhidi (@Imamofpeace) March 19, 2019
It also reminds us of how SAA made history last year after their all-female pilots flew passengers from South Africa to Brazil in celebration of Women's Month.
#AllFemaleCrew In celebration of women’s month, an all female crew from South African Airways (#SAA) will be flying from OR Tambo International Airport to Séo Paulo, Brazil. This is the first inter-continental flight by SAA operated by an all female crew. pic.twitter.com/nxPndeVfxq
— silindelo masikane (@Slindelo_M) August 22, 2018
It seems like there has never been a better time for women to get their pilot’s licence because aviation is expected to need 790 000 new civil aviation pilots over the next 20-years according to Boeing.
Do you know of any inspirational female pilots? Chat to us here
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