On October 14, the navy from Chile formed its first mixed group of Naval Aviators. The opportunity marked the first time that a woman became a Naval Aviator in the country, with the graduation of Lieutenant Daniela Figueroa Scholz, able to fly the Pilatus PC-7 turboprop.
Lieutenant Daniela graduated with the best grades in the group of seven military personnel (she and six other men) from the 2021 Pilot Course. “This year and a half has been a long process, a lot of sacrifice and very challenging because learning to fly is complex. It makes me proud to belong to this generation, where teamwork and family were essential, as well as the dedication of the instructors so that we could learn to fly”, told the pioneer aviator on graduation day.
"Here it is the same to be a man or a woman because the requirements are the same for everyone, both skills and theoretical and practical knowledge.”
According to the Director of the Naval Aviation School, Captain Fragata Rodrigo Román, “a process that at first seemed distant and elusive was concluded. They know well that it was not easy to get where they are at the moment, as the journey was long and with countless difficulties, where the obstacles and challenges that we imposed on them constituted permanent challenges in their daily lives, however, at the point of determination and sacrifice that they managed to overcome successfully, and today this allows them to gain the privilege of being fully integrated into the professional work of our Navy as specialists in Naval Aviation.”
In an interview with Dialogue Portal, Daniela talked about her career in the Chilean Navy. The soldier learned to fly in the Pilatus PC-7, but is already training to command another aircraft.
“Being the first female pilot in the Chilean Navy is a great achievement, pride and responsibility for me, as the course was very demanding and the vast majority of candidates who take it fail to . My intention is to invite women to dare to try to do what they really like and not repress their own desires.”, says Daniela.
The Lieutenant says “Being a sailor is not just a job, but a lifestyle. The attractiveness of this profession is that it is a function of service and dedication to the homeland; however, I believe that, deep down, one of the most attractive things is the diversity that this naval military career offers us. In my case, I work in naval aviation as a pilot, but in about two years, for example, I will be able to sail and train on auxiliary ships in the south, to the connection of isolated territories.”
