19-year-old Utah woman looks to inspire more women to take to the skies

SOUTH JORDAN — When Cambrie Foster was 17 years old, she had a clear direction she wanted her future to go — up.

Now, at 19 years old, Foster is not only ready for take-off but is flying at great altitudes as a certified flight instructor, teaching other budding pilots how to fly.

In just shy of a year, Foster earned her advanced ground instructor rating, certified flight instructor certificate, certified flight instructor-instrument rating, and is qualified to fly commercially on both land-based and seaplanes. And she is teaching at a flight school in Ogden.

Stan Gibson, one of Foster's flight instructors and mentors, says what she has accomplished in a short amount of time is remarkable for any pilot, let alone someone her age.

"What she's done is extraordinary," he said. "When you find someone like Cambrie who is willing to put in the work, great things happen."

Gliding into it

Foster grew up in the flight world with her dad being a certified glider plane instructor. She said even though she was exposed to that world at a young age, she didn't know if flying planes would ever be in her future

"My dad's a glider (certified flight instructor), so I kind of grew up around aviation, but I never really thought that it was the place for me," Foster said. "I was young and the people I was around who were pilots were all old men, which was fine. I didn't have a problem with that, but I just didn't think that there was a place for me (as a female). I never really considered flying as an option."

As time went on, her view of her place in the world of aviation changed. She recalled going on a trip in high school where she met pilots from various walks of life — a few were females — and they all seemed to love their jobs. She started to consider becoming a pilot and enrolled in a program her school district offered.

"I went to Mountain Ridge High School, and I was super lucky because Jordan School District has this really cool program called JATC (Jordan Academy for Technology and Careers) and they have an aviation program there," Foster said. "When I was a senior in high school, I ended up in that program, super last minute. I was originally enrolled in the EMT program and literally a week before school started, I was like, 'Let's do the aviation program.' So honestly, that's where my whole career trajectory changed."

Not only did her trajectory change, but she excelled at a rapid rate. Gibson said that being a passenger in the seat next to someone like Foster has given him hope for the future, not only for pilots in general but for women in aviation.

A 'lack of encouragement'

Gibson, who is a retired Air Force and Delta pilot with over 30 years of experience, acknowledged a great lack of female representation in aviation. He is also a father of five daughters, two of whom he has trained to fly.

"Women really don't get enough opportunities to get into aviation, and I believe it stems from a lack of encouragement," he said. "We need more people, particularly men, encouraging women in these spaces and being a champion for them. In my 33 years of flight, there have been very few female pilots. I wish I could motivate other young females to get into aviation."

Women account for fewer than 5% of commercial airline pilots in the U.S. and less than 10% of all pilots, with many noting that a lack of female representation in the field is a large deterrent.

Foster shares her mentor's goal to inspire women to pursue a career in flight and has built a social media platform centered around this very thing.

"We're a very low percentage of the pilot population, but all the female pilots I've met are so inspiring and they're so good at what they do," Foster said. "My flight instructor who I got my private pilot's license through is a woman, and I really look up to her. The goal of my (Instagram) page is to get women, in particular, into aviation because when I was getting into it I didn't see a lot of females. If I can show other young girls that it's possible, then that's all I want."

Foster currently teaches at Blitz Aviation in Ogden and says the skies really have no limit to where she can go. She says she's grateful to live in a state with a large range of air space to train and scenery to gaze upon.

"What I love so much about aviation is there is so much to learn and so many different avenues to explore," she said. "I'm so grateful to live in Utah because the scenery is amazing. You have southern Utah, and then you have the mountains, and then if you go out west you have the Salt Fats. It's seriously amazing."

For anyone considering a career in aviation, Foster said finding a good mentor like Gibson is critical.

"When you're getting into it, just to find a lot of mentors and network," she said. "I'm so grateful for my mentor, Stan. He's done so much for me and this seriously would not be possible without him. If aviation is your goal, get after it and don't take it for granted."

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