The mission of ETA is to inspire young women to achieve greatness by exposing them to the joys and challenges of flight, affording them the opportunity to succeed in a technically challenging and academically strenuous endeavor, and giving them the confidence needed to pursue their dreams.
Inequality is one of the major challenges facing society today. Disproportionate access to quality education, family sustaining jobs and careers, and wealth accumulation is at the root of inequality in our society. The aviation industry is a prime example of an industry in dire need of diversification. Only around 5% of airline pilots worldwide are female. In the U.S., only around 3% of airline pilots are Black and the number of Black female airline pilots is estimated to be less than 1%. Pilot careers are rewarding, challenging, and fulfilling. The pay and benefits associated with these careers have the potential to be life changing, and the effects multigenerational. There are many reasons for the paltry numbers of women and people of color among the pilot ranks but a lack of role models is often cited as one of the contributing factors. If this industry continues to be as monolithic as it is today, high paying, wealth generating careers will be largely off limits to otherwise capable women of color, the industry will struggle to meet an impending pilot shortage, and inequality will persist.
ETA is committed to fighting inequality in any form and to increasing access to high paying STEM careers for young women, and especially women of color. We endeavor to increase the number of African American women and women of color on the flight decks of U.S. airliners, inspire young women to achieve greatness in STEM fields, and to diversify the aviation industry.