Avionics News July 2016 - 37

of that, I almost didn't join, but I was
told I excelled in the math portion of
the ASVAB. That's the Armed Services
Vocational Aptitude Battery. The Navy
recruiter suggested I go into avionics,
and I decided that would be a good
career path. My father and grandfather
were both electricians, so I felt I was
following in their footsteps.
I learned you were
a high-risk water
survival instructor.
When I was in boot camp, I was
selected for a study to wear a wristwatch that measured my movement, walking, sleeping, heart rate
... everything. Then, the data had to
be downloaded once a week with an
aerospace physiologist. The physiologist conducting the research noticed I
had a biochemistry background as well
as an interest in aviation. He told me
that I might be interested in aerospace
physiology. He mentioned that I may
have seen the dunker training and lowpressure chamber in An Officer and a
Gentleman.
I was immediately intrigued by this
possibility, but was already under contract for avionics. My first duty station
as an avionics tech was at VX-1 Air Test
and Evaluation Squadron at Patuxent
River, Maryland, where I worked on the
P-3, S-3 and SH-60. I was lucky enough
to have been stationed just down the
street from an Aviation Survival Training
Center, one of only eight in the U.S.
I was able to complete on-the-job
training and be recommended for the
physiology program. In order to be a
physiology instructor, I had to cross

rate by completing Naval Hospital Corps
School, Field Medical Service School
with the Marines, Aerospace Medicine
and Aerospace Physiology School and
Instructor school. Then, I was able to
take my first billet as an aviation physiology technician. I also became a Naval
Aviation Water Survival Training instructor and a Navy Lifeguard instructor. I
conducted training in classrooms as well
as on the on the pool deck: hypoxia
training, helicopter dunker training,
shallow water egress training, survival
swimming, and parachute drag, parachute landing falls, etc.
What do you like best
about your job?
It is easy to get up in the morning and
come to work every day because I like
the people I work with, especially the
sales team. I love speaking with customers and helping them find avionics solutions. I like going to the trade shows and
networking, but the best part is helping
the customers.
What's the corporate
culture like at Banyan?
I don't think I've ever worked in a
place where I felt so welcome. It's a
great work environment. I'm a woman
in aviation, but I'm treated like a lady.
What do you do when
you're not working?
I love to scuba dive and snorkel,
any kind of watersports. I became a
scuba diving instructor back in 2013,
although I'm not actively teaching
anymore. I am planning a dive trip to
Belize this year.

I volunteer at the Naval Air Station
Museum in Fort Lauderdale when I
have time. I help with whatever they
need from reorganizing, editing information on the website, to helping
with events. My favorite event is the
Flight 19 Memorial Ceremony for the
Lost Squadron. I am also the chairman of the board of an all-volunteer,
nonprofit organization called Veterans
Against ISIS. All fundraising proceeds
go to help veterans who have financial needs. We also have a crisis and
suicide hotline because of the staggering suicide rate among veterans
- 22 a day. But we have wanted to
focus more on the needs of veterans
and not just being against terrorism,
so we spun off Veterans Embracing
Together. Veterans Against ISIS is now
a subsidiary of that.
What do you see
for your future?
I hope to have a bright future in
sales. I'm excited about the new technology that has resulted from the
upcoming FAA mandates for ADS-B
and FANS-1A. A lot of people have not
grasped the urgency of having this
done sooner rather than later. The
next four years will be exciting. I'm
sure there will be a big crunch or bottleneck toward the end. Beyond 2020,
I'd like to move into management.
I'm working on my master's degree
in business management at Nova
Southeastern University, but I like the
marketing side of aviation, as well. q
To learn more about Banyan Air
Service, visit banyanair.com.
avionics news

july

2016

http://www.banyanair.com

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