Aida Vergara Valdes is an aviation captain at Viva Aerobusone of the most prominent airlines in the Low Cost sector in America and powerful in the Mexican skies.
“My beginnings in the aviation industry were as a flight attendant, I always liked the idea of being able to serve people as I would like to be treated, although when I saw the possibility of being a pilot I did not hesitate and prepared myself,” recalled the 34 year old captain.
His path is guided by a mother who worked as a flight attendant and a father who sought to become a pilot, but given the demands of that profession, he was not eligible to train.
“My mom was a flight attendant in the 70’s she always wanted to be a pilotIt was still a frustrated dream for her because in her time it was totally impossible. So it was not even allowed for a woman to study to be a pilot,” recalls Vergara regarding the past of women in aviation.
Conchita Bernard was the first woman to be First Officer in the Mexican commercial aviation, who in 1976 opened the Mexican skies to women. “My mother had to see the first Mexican pilot called “Conchita” and she always told me about her, very proud to see how she fought to be there,” recalls the First Officer of the Monterrey airline.
Although it was not in his plans to be in charge of one of the most fascinating machines in the modern world such as an aircraft, when he communicated this decision to his parents, he was totally happy. “I wanted to be a food engineer, but when I get on a plane to work on this I realize that this is the life I want and for which I have prepared myself so much,” enthuses Vergara.
Her preparation began at the age of 19, first as a flight attendant in Mexico City, where she is from, although she is now based at the Mariano Escobedo International Airport that serves the Monterrey metropolitan area.
Today there is no longer the fear of, “I am a woman and I will not be able to”
He currently feels that the gap with male aviation professionals is narrowing and the gender issue is no longer preponderant, so more women are looking at these activities.
“The truth is that perhaps as a country it could still seem that we are behind, but we are moving and reaching other countries on this issue of female participation in aviation“, she points out. “Today there is no longer the fear of, ‘I am a woman and I will not be able to’, that fear is no longer heard, now like, I am a woman, I know that I can”, reflects the captain who join the Viva Aerobus staff.
Achieving this dream was not a case of luck, preparation in a subject as serious as aviation represents a commitment to yourself and to the people you transport. “Every day I would wake up and think: ‘What am I doing today to be a pilot tomorrow?’ Whatever it was, it doesn’t matter, I grabbed a book and learned something new. I went to school, I had an hour of flying Today at work I asked the pilots what their job was like, the important thing is to move forward,” he recalled.
Flights have their important moments and for Aida the landing represents the greatest commitment and emotion of each flight, since you can still go to Cancun, Chihuahua, Bajío, Houston and from Monterrey very soon to Bogotá.
“I like to know that on each flight I am giving something to the passengers so that they can visit their family, for a work appointment, their wedding, vacations and to know that I am doing well with them,” he concluded.