[00:00:00] Speaker A: Foreign.
[00:00:08] Speaker B: Welcome to the latest edition of the Sky Careers podcast. My name is Mark Hodgson and it's my privilege to be your host this month. I'm very excited to have as our guest a lady called Cherish McNamara. Now, Cherish, apart from having an amazing name, and I don't know anyone else by the name of Cherish, so we might talk about that.
Cherish has a very interesting career.
She's out of the United States of America. Originally. She is a United States Air Force veteran and now has found a way, post her aviation specific career to become the college manager at the College of Electrical Training in Western Australia. So as you can imagine, we've got plenty to talk about. Cherish, welcome to the Sky Careers podcast.
[00:01:00] Speaker A: Thank you, Mark. Happy to be here.
[00:01:02] Speaker B: All right, we always start at the beginning.
Where did you go to school and what were your favorite subjects?
[00:01:07] Speaker A: So I grew up in the US In Cleveland, Ohio. And in the States it's very different than in Australia. So most people go to public school.
The private sector was really just for those chosen for sports or academics or something.
So it was a very different world growing up. But I did, I went to the Brecksville Broadview Heights High School and as far as my favorite subject goes, I don't really have any favorite subjects. I just kind of got through and yeah, just, I don't know, I didn't, I didn't. Nothing stood out to me.
[00:01:45] Speaker C: Cool.
[00:01:45] Speaker B: Now I've already, I've already put the plot, spoiler into the introduction that you found your way into the United States Air Force. So how did A young cherished McNamara at high school kind of doing lots of things, nothing particularly standing out. What was the, what was the. Had joined the dots from there to aviation for us?
[00:02:04] Speaker A: Well, I think all through high school, well, all through school age, you know, when you start off in elementary school, they, you know, say, oh, what do you want to be when you grow up? And it's either draw a picture, then write a story or something about that. And, and I really had no idea. I mean, I was making stuff up because, well, what I thought was interesting, it wasn't until the summer of, I think going into my year 10 or 10th grade, we went to the air show. Funny enough, Cleveland has the international air show every year. But this was the first year that I went and I had that aha moment. I watched some of the military airplanes fly overhead and it just hit me like, that is exactly what I want to do. And from then on it was okay. What do I need to do to get there.
Do I go to the Navy, Do I go to the Air Force? Do I go commercial?
How do I get to do what these people are doing and get to fly airplanes like that? And yeah, at the end of the day I ended up going through university or Wright State University. So college, Dayton, Ohio is about three and a half hours or so from Cleveland. So drivable. And it's also the home of the Wright brothers.
Decided to go through. Yeah, yeah, so I went to university named after the Wright brothers.
And yeah, it was, I went through the Air Force Reserve Officer training course. That was four years while I was at university.
We would learn all the military background kind of stuff and then spend a couple of weeks in the summer going off and doing your kind of boot camp stuff.
And then during the last couple of years, I would go through all the testing for pilots because I nominated to be a pilot. And that's where you start doing your physical testing, your medical, your mental, psychological, all the different testing that, that goes on.
And I knew by the time I was a senior at Wright State that I had been chosen or I was able to go to pilot training once I graduated and got commissioned into the Air Force.
So, yeah, that's essentially how I was able to go from not knowing anything about what I wanted to do when I was a little girl to finding my way to the Air Force.
[00:04:29] Speaker B: Right, you fast forwarded through quite an important bit. I know you fast forwarded through a lot because we've got 20 minutes to cover quite, quite a few decades.
But I've shared on the podcast before, I, I am a failed Royal Naval pilot out of the UK. So I, I, I did, I did 100 hours flyer training trying. Yeah, right, chopped. Which you know, I know, I know, Brutal. Hey, but, but therefore, as with you, I did the, I did some basic.
Well, you have, you have to become an officer first in the Royal Navy and then you specialize their crew. And I was just going to pick up on for you. So you mentioned your school, but you had quite an elongated maybe two year, I guess, trend.
[00:05:14] Speaker C: I say transition. I'm not sure you do transition into the military. You kind of get, you get rudely deposited, don't you?
How did you find the kind of,
[00:05:22] Speaker B: forget the flying stuff for a second.
[00:05:23] Speaker C: How did you find the military aspect of training? Yeah, because, and it's, you know, it's important, it is important to state.
People kind of maybe forget because you go to air show, you see these glamorous and really impressive big, big helicopters and, and transports and Fighter jets and fast jets and things flying around, but they are weapons of war and then your job is ultimately to potentially to fight, to fight them. How did you, how did you find that, that piece?
[00:05:48] Speaker A: Really good question. Because I don't come from a military background. My or like family in the sense of, I mean my grandpa was in World War II and my uncle I think was drafted. But other than that, no military experience.
Which is part of the reason why when I was looking at all my options, I decided to go through the ROTC route because I figured if I didn't like the military aspect of it, I could still walk away with a university degree.
I wasn't sure if going to like one of the academies, whether it was the Air Force Academy or the Naval Academy was going to be for me and I knew it was going to be full on.
So I kind of did the baby step version of going into the military.
But I think for myself, because I've always been a bit of a tomboy and I've had more boy friends than girlfriends and I've played sports and you know, I was just, it was fine for me, like I didn't have any rude awakenings or shocks, but it was definitely, yeah, I learned a lot compared to the kids that were like military brats, moved around, had a bit of knowledge of what it was actually like.
[00:07:00] Speaker B: That's great. And so, so then you, so then you. Thank you. That I think it's a really interesting piece to pick. So then obviously you passed your aptitudes. They worked out you, you had the potential to be a pilot. And then talk us through, talk us through your pilot training. What was the pipeline from, from. Yeah, we think, we think you, we think you've got, what did I say? The right stuff, pun intended.
Obviously, getting your wings and qualifying.
[00:07:24] Speaker A: Well, you know, it's actually interesting because when I first told my dad as well that, you know, hey, I want to go be a pilot in the Air Force, he was like, he thought it was a phase. And you know, of course at that time, you know, yeah, you know, it's the, well, what is my, you know, what is my daughter doing? She wants to go off into the military and fly airplanes and stuff is like, you know, at that time Top Gun was still fairly new and so the original back in the day. And so of course, you know, it was all, this is just a phase. It's just a phase. And I don't think it really hit him until I was actually graduating from pilot training that it wasn't just a Phase. So it's interesting to see what other perceptions are of what you do and what you choose to do. But at the same time like going through pilot training was, it was the hardest and best year of my life all rolled up into one.
For someone like me who had no hours, I hadn't flown at all. So I had zero experience, shall we say, in actually flying the airplane. I took private pilot license, ground school and I did one or two flights, but nothing to say that I really knew what was going on.
And to say I was probably a bit naive as to what an actual career as a pilot looked like is putting it mildly.
But then going through pilot training was.
It was hard on so many different levels.
The theory was hard. I was never very good naturally at math and science, which obviously your aerodynamics and everything, calculation, all that stuff. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. Especially the mental maths. Like I, you know, when you're flying you need to be able to do the mental maths in your head, which to me was. It took a little while and it just took practice and a long time of just going through it over and over in my head. And that dedication, I guess to try to learn and understand is what, is what was really hard because that's what was driving me. But it was also something that didn't come naturally to me. So that first year, the first six months we did ground school as well as learned to fly on the T37, which is a little trainer, two seater airplane, two jet engines. So yeah, first time I really started to go flying and my first solo was in a dual jet engine airplane.
[00:09:57] Speaker B: Jet engines. Really? You trained?
[00:09:59] Speaker A: Wow. Yeah, it was cool. Yeah, it was pretty awesome. Non standard, you know, most people don't go that route, but then.
Yeah. So then after that you graduate from, you know, the first part of pilot training and then you go down different tracks. And so once you graduate, you either go down like the helicopter track, you go down the fighter track, or you go down like the transport or heavy track. So I chose the transport heavy track. It's. Well, I say I chose. It was a little bit of. You put your wish list in and it depends on how many spots they have. And then it all gets divvied up. So I don't know if I really got to choose per se.
And then for the next six months I learned how to fly the T1, which is, I'm going to say like a little. It's a Learjet, it's like a baby like Barbie jet.
Really smooth, very nice. You know, all Glass cockpit. So just, you know, bathroom on board. It was. Yeah, it was very nice.
And then at the end of that, yeah, you graduate and then it's a.
Off you go to your assigned aircraft and your assigned location and all of that. So that 12 months was the hardest, most full on 12 months, but so much fun. Like nothing would ever compare to that.
[00:11:29] Speaker B: That's very rapid. I think that's much faster than the equivalent pipelines. I'm just trying to think, I'm trying to think of certainly another rule. The role, maybe one I did was like a four year pipeline.
Maybe three years through the helicopters and four years through to the Sea Harriers, which obviously is the very pointy end of, you know, of fast jets. But one year. Wow. Impressive.
[00:11:50] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:11:51] Speaker B: So what, where did. What, what, what, what?
So for those of you don't know, unfortunately there aren't that many roles flying around a small business in the military. There are some, but. Yep, that's probably not where you end up. Where did you end up? What, where did you, what operational aircraft did you, did you.
[00:12:05] Speaker C: Did you find yourself?
[00:12:06] Speaker A: Yeah, so my, my first operational aircraft, I was able to fly the C9, which is like the military version of a DC9. So, you know, we've got two engines at the back of the airplane. And I was stationed out of Japan, so I did all AirVac flying. So that aircraft was specifically designed for AirVac. We actually had a, like a big hydraulic door on the side. So it was like a caterpillar that came out so you could use it as a ramp if we needed for patients and flew all around the Pacific.
We were always on standby and it was just a beautiful jet to fly. So overpowered and yeah, it didn't have a long range. Like we still had to stop and refuel, but beautiful airplane to fly.
[00:13:05] Speaker C: Sounds terrible.
[00:13:07] Speaker B: What was the memorable. Is there a particularly memorable mission or
[00:13:11] Speaker C: trip you can remember from flying the C9?
[00:13:16] Speaker A: Yeah, there's probably two that really stand out. One was we were on a trainer. So a couple of us pilots and a trainer pilot or instructor pilot.
When we were out flying around, we actually were able to stop at Iwo Jima and we're able to stop, refuel, climb Mount Suribachi, have a walk around Iwo Jima.
And I think it just brings home the challenge that one island is the humidity and the heat and yeah, just it hits you. And for various reasons, you know, just history in general. But it's one thing to read about history in a book and it's another to Actually be there, see, smell, feel.
So that one.
And it's not a place that you can really just say, I want to go on a tour of, and hit. There's not a lot of cruise ships that poured into Iwo Jima. So, yeah, I feel really lucky.
And yeah, I learned a lot just by being able to stop there.
And the other one that stands out is I was flying the night after 9 11. So 911 hit and we were on standby, but at the end of the day, we had a patient that needed to be moved to Hawaii. So we stood by all day because we weren't sure what was happening. All the aircraft were grounded.
And yeah, come about 10 o' clock at night in Japan, it was, no, we have to go, we have to move this patient. And so it was a very long night flying over the Pacific. There was no other aircraft out there. It's normally pretty quiet anyway. But I can only liken it to, you know, if you're driving down a freeway at night and there's not another single car anywhere that you can see and it's just odd. It's very. It's a very uneasy feeling.
[00:15:19] Speaker B: Yeah, yeah.
[00:15:20] Speaker A: So we were.
[00:15:22] Speaker B: You don't need an aeroplane in the world. Right.
[00:15:24] Speaker A: We were one of the very few that were actually flying.
But it also goes to show that, you know, human life really is that important to risk a lot to make sure that you, you know, can get them where they need to go.
But yeah, that was. That was. I still get chills thinking about it because it's just.
[00:15:44] Speaker B: I bet you do.
Those two instances, you're kind of touching.
[00:15:47] Speaker C: History of 911 was.
[00:15:49] Speaker B: I know we've got a lot of younger listeners and really encourage you to do two things.
[00:15:53] Speaker C: Those. Listen to podcast. Iwo Jima, very, very famous island, part of the Battle of the Pacific in the Second World War, really were. Yeah, get Jenning up on that. Google that, find out more about that. And also 911 you probably know something about. But at the time when the twin jets flew into the twin tails in New York and Pentagon as well, and no one knew what was going on. And all the aircraft were grounded across, certainly across the United States and Europe. And it was, you know, it was potentially no one knew that. It's easy to look back in hindsight, but at that point it was very, very scary and seismic, very historic. I think it's one of those things everyone remembers where they were. I know I do.
[00:16:35] Speaker A: Yeah, absolutely. Yep.
[00:16:37] Speaker B: Fantastic experiences. So bring it, bring us forward, because I want to Move past, you think? Because I know we're. Yep, half the story. So where did you end up? Because you know where I'm trying to take you.
[00:16:48] Speaker A: Yep, yep. So essentially, look, I'll speed past some of that stuff. I. After Japan, I then went to go fly the C130 out of Pope Air Force Base in North Carolina.
And of course that is shortly after 9 11. So that's when all the, the Gulf War kicked off in the Middle east again, the second one. So I spent about, yeah, many deployments over in the Middle east and I got about 500 combat hours, so in and out of Iraq and Afghanistan.
And then, let's see, after that I stayed with the C130, but I went over to the UK and I was a US exchange officer pilot and flew with the Brits. So I was stationed at RAF Lynam and got to fly the C130K, which is similar but different because they have a nice air refueling probe on the front. Oh, yeah, yeah.
And then got to fly all around Europe and, you know, Africa and a few other places. So, yeah. And from there it was time for me to leave. So I made the decision to leave after 10 years total. And.
Yeah, I, I don't know, it just feels like a lifetime ago.
[00:18:06] Speaker B: Well, I know, I know, but just,
[00:18:07] Speaker C: just, just a couple of little side
[00:18:09] Speaker B: conversations and you and I had a chat before. So the C130 is also known as the Hercules and I've got a bit
[00:18:17] Speaker C: of familiarity with, because my brother, Carl Hodgson, who we've, who we also interviewed on the Sky Cruise podcast, he was a. He's. He's British like myself, he's English and he, he was a Hercules pilot also coming out of RAF line a bit, I think, a bit before you. So you, you won't have crossed paths, but it's lovely how everything's interconnected. And then coming back, small world.
It is a small. It's a small, big world, isn't it? And then coming back to you, I mean, 10 years. Wow, what a. What an adventure.
Yeah, yeah, what an adventure. You packed? You packed? Yeah.
War zones in Middle East, Europe, UK, all in 10 years flow multiple. We learn how to fly multiple things, you know, served your country. Wow, hell of a. 10 years.
[00:19:03] Speaker A: Yeah, that's for sure.
And you know, the interesting thing too, going back to when I was in university, one of the things we had to do in ROTC was write a story of where do we see ourselves in 20 years?
And I put down there at one point, I'm Going to be like a colonel and I'm going to have wartime and all that stuff. And at the time it was all quiet. And they normally say wars come in about 20 years.
And the commander at the time was like, you're never going to see wartime and that kind of thing. And I was like, yeah, okay, whatever. Well, that's fine. I just want to fly airplanes. That's all I want to do is just fly airplanes and I will be happy.
And then shortly thereafter, here I am. It's going off to war.
[00:19:46] Speaker B: Yeah. And so how old were you at the end of your stint with the Hercules? So at the end of your USAF career?
[00:19:55] Speaker A: I was. Oh, that's a good question. Now you're gonna make me do mental math again in my, in my head.
I was in my early 30s, so I was 32, I think.
[00:20:07] Speaker B: So. Jo, let's join some more ducks, more dots. I know, I know, I know, I know. We're moving fast here. Okay, so you're in your early 30s. Were you. Did you go back to the States after the. OR do. You left the Air Force from the
[00:20:20] Speaker C: uk, so you left there.
Yep.
[00:20:23] Speaker B: How did a girl get from there to end up in Western Australia?
[00:20:26] Speaker A: Yeah, I don't know.
[00:20:27] Speaker B: Why away?
[00:20:29] Speaker A: I don't know if you can help me answer that. That would be really good. Now, when I was on one of my deployments in the Middle east, one of my deployments was a non flying deployment and I was stationed in what we called the Combined Air Operations center or the caoc.
And there we worked with all the. Yeah, we worked with all the allies and one of the Aussies that was there, I happened to meet and we just got along really well. And then we tried long distance for a while.
Long distance?
Yeah, it was very long distance.
And then as the universe does and it works in some weird way, when I was in the UK as an exchange pilot, he ended up coming over as the Australian exchange pilot to the C130J. So he was there. We were both stationed at the same place at the same time.
Not by pulling strings or anything else other than that is just how it works. So I think the universe was saying, look, if you wouldn't have met before, we're going to make you meet now.
And so when I left, yeah, when I left the Air Force, I stayed in the UK as his partner, went through all different visas to stay in the uk and then when he was stationed back to Australia, I went with him.
And we had just gotten married and all that stuff. So he's from Perth and wanted to raise a family and stuff, as he did. And I have no problem with Perth. I really like it. It's actually much calmer and warmer than Cleveland. So, like, sure.
And that is how I ended up in Perth.
[00:22:15] Speaker B: Fandy, you've joined the dots beautifully there for us and so bring us up to speed. So you obviously having done a significant aviation or stint in the aviation career, how did you move on from there to your current role?
[00:22:29] Speaker A: So I will speed through kind of very quickly. When we got to Sydney, I was trying to find work.
Here I AM this early 30s, I've got a college degree, I've got lots of experience, but I was only a temporary resident and so trying to find work was really challenging because nobody really wanted to bring on a temporary resident.
So I ended up managing to find some work at the base as a C130 training development designer, kind of writing manuals and stuff like that. And because I left the Air Force as an instructor, I could really see the value in the training and the teaching and how all of that kind of plays for different people.
And so for quite a few years I did the training development and the design, went through a few different companies doing that and did that kind of part time, had my son during that time.
We moved over to Perth from Sydney, continued doing that for a little while and then as my kids were starting to get a little bit older, I went off to TAFE and I taught pilot studies to the vet schools.
So I did that. Yeah, I did that part time, learned a lot about.
So pilot studies is the vet and schools. I think it's a Cert 2 from memory and that's a basic.
It's a basic course in learning to be a pilot. So a little bit of everything, everything from aerodynamics to navigation, fuel loading, aircraft stuff. So it's kind of like ground school, but it's a very introductory version to what ground school is.
[00:24:29] Speaker B: Funny. Sorry to jump in. Isn't it funny how you describe how ground school and I remember doing ground. I was actually very good at ground school. I was better ground school than.
Isn't it funny how you mentioned that the ground school was like a really challenge challenging for you, then you know what, 15 something years later you end up teaching it halfway across the world. It's funny how the world, things work, things change, isn't it?
[00:24:53] Speaker A: Look. And to bring more dots into line, the one system that was my arch nemesis the entire time I was flying was the electrical system. Because you can't see it, you can't you know, you can't touch it. It's just, it's there and it does stuff. And yet I end up working.
[00:25:11] Speaker B: Doesn't give you any clues, does it?
[00:25:13] Speaker A: No, it doesn't. And you know, it's not like you can see it dripping or anything like that.
And yet I end up at the College of Electrical Training. So I don't know how.
Yeah, it is very funny how the world and the universe can, I don't know, make it come back to the things that challenge you.
[00:25:33] Speaker B: God has a sense of humor. Hey.
[00:25:35] Speaker A: Oh, absolutely.
[00:25:37] Speaker B: Yeah. So, and so how did you, was, how did you end up the College of Electoral Training? Is that, is that, was that from the, from the, sorry, from the pilot studies. Was that where you taught this pilot studies from? Or was that another, another, another solution?
[00:25:52] Speaker A: Yeah, so it's. Again, I'll go, I'll connect the dots for you. So I did the pilot studies and then from there I did, I got picked up to teach. Well, actually develop and then deliver the repl course, the CASA drone repo course. So that was still fairly, fairly new at the time.
And I thought, look, this is kind of cool and different and although in my heart of hearts I think a drone pilot is not a true pilot in the sense of, you know, you're still standing on the ground and all you do is have this controller in your hand. However, I also realize that that is the way the world is going and so it is a pilot, it is an aircraft. So yeah, learned how to fly drones, then taught that course for a while and it's from there that I thought, well, look, my kids are old enough, I can probably look at full time work and was picked up to go do a role at Western Power, which is our electrical, big electrical government company here and they have a training center. So. So I applied and was then, I guess you'd say the college manager for their electrical training center full time. And then from there I left and just kind of moved over to the College of Electrical Training, essentially doing the same role, just a different company.
[00:27:25] Speaker B: Wow, what a story.
[00:27:27] Speaker C: Do you do any, do you still fly at all?
[00:27:33] Speaker A: No, no, that's on, it's on the list.
[00:27:38] Speaker C: Is that an itch you want to scratch?
[00:27:40] Speaker A: It is in the sense that I know that there's a lot of work that's going to have to go into me being able to get my license and be flying again on my own.
I think my kids are just about at the point where they're going to be self sufficient enough that I can go and spend a bit of that, the time and the effort and the money and all that stuff on me to get that, that done because I just don't want to go at it kind of half assed jokingly or finding time and stuff. I really want to be able to go and, and do it because I do enjoy and love it.
I've got some friends that are pilots, so I still get to go up and I still get to, you know, make radio calls and do a bit of flying here and there. But yeah, it's on, it's on the cards. So at some point, yeah, I'll go back to, to flying again.
[00:28:33] Speaker C: Good for you. I'm going to, I'm going to as, I'm going to land the plane. As we say. We could talk for hours and I am going to, I'm going to, I'm going to go invite you to do a longer podcast where we do go a little bit deeper in some of the leadership aspects because it's such a fascinating story.
[00:28:50] Speaker B: But as we, we've done this whistle stop tour through your life in.
[00:28:56] Speaker A: Are you, are you hanging on by the tail of the plane? Are you just like, oh my God, it's just gone?
[00:29:01] Speaker B: Yeah. No, but what, what. I guess, I guess the point I want to make if we zero this in and I know you're very active and passionate about helping, helping encourage new people into the aviation industry, specifically women and probably specifically as, as pilots, but also, also other things. I know you've got a passion for that and really, you know, I can't imagine anyone who's hearing your story can't be excited about, you know, the possibilities. It's interesting. Literally a week ago, a week ago tomorrow, I was presenting at Scone.
They had a, a Warbirds Over Scone, small, small air show with all the, all the, all the, you know, the Spitfires and the Mustangs. I got. Okay, the Mustangs, the Spitfire.
[00:29:52] Speaker A: I've got to say, I love the Spitfire.
[00:29:54] Speaker B: Yeah, it's very sad. I did it on the Friday and we did the careers day on the Friday and unfortunately I wasn't able to stay for the Saturday and so I didn't hear one Merlin engine, which I
[00:30:04] Speaker C: was very sad about.
[00:30:05] Speaker B: It's, it's, it's like, it's the been, it's the very core of being British when I grew up and Big and Hill and the Battle of Britain, all those things. But anyway, but I spoke to, I spoke to this bright eyed, this room that about 60, 70 young students, male and female, probably aged from about 13, 14 through to 16, 17.
And we presented all these various pathways and possibilities from aviation with piloting or
[00:30:34] Speaker D: drone or engineering
[00:30:38] Speaker B: or chefing or 100 different things.
And I just, you know, and I always.
I know my ambition, doing that.
[00:30:45] Speaker C: And also the other Sky Careers team members. Yeah. You just love to think that someone in your little somewhere, you touch someone, maybe just look, you just. You put that little spark of interest or possibility in someone's mind, and then, you know, that starts the train. And a train like you, exactly what you've been. You started at school, weren't from a service family, ended up going to an air show, seeing some pretty. Pretty impressive things. Oh, I want to do that. How do I do that? And then the next thing, the next thing, the next thing takes you through the military, gives you an amazing decade, both experiencing amazing things, but also, you know, defending your country and doing important, important work that has to be done and risking your life, then it. Then you find a partner, then you go across the world, then you're doing other things in Australia. And I think it's just such a. Such a. An inspiring story that hopefully other people can potentially see themselves into. In. So See themselves. Especially when, as you say, you know, it's not like you're, you know, I wanted to fly since I was 6, and, you know, it's.
[00:31:44] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:31:44] Speaker C: Which is kind of. It's a great pathway, if that's who you are. But for most people I interview on the Sky Careers podcast, that's not the reality. Most people don't really know what they want to do. They were not necessarily that academic, didn't study all the inverted commas. Right. Subjects. So it's so inspirational to hear your story where you kind of say, well, I wasn't really sure, but I did this. And then that happened. And then, then I did this, and that was hard, but I did it anyway and I stuck it out and I met some cool people. And then before you knew it, my dad was impressed because I was a real pilot. And he's going.
[00:32:11] Speaker A: Exactly. It wasn't just a phase.
[00:32:16] Speaker C: So, all that being said, there is a question here somewhere.
[00:32:20] Speaker A: Sure.
[00:32:20] Speaker B: And it's, what advice would you give to young, young people who are interested about coming into the aviation industry? What would be your advice?
[00:32:34] Speaker A: I think.
I think the.
It's hard to kind of narrow it down just to one bit of advice. Right. I think, as you said, I've had a very varied career since I started. And when you're going through school and even when you get to be an adult, it's okay to not necessarily know exactly what it is you want to do.
If you do know what you want to do, then go for it. And don't be afraid to go for it, but still always be open to, I guess, opportunities or doing something different and bringing what you've already learned and your experiences to it.
Look, when I first left the Air Force, there's no way that if somebody would have said, well, in another 10 years you're going to be a college manager at an electrical training facility, I would have been like, yeah, right, okay.
But the other part of that, too is, you know, it's okay to try something and it's okay to fail at stuff. And failure isn't necessarily failure. It's a.
You learn from it. It makes you stronger. It also really reinforces what you're passionate about, because if you want to succeed at something, you will get through those failures and you'll grow from it.
We all get knocked down. We all fail. I mean, most pilots, when I talk to them, it's not if you fail a checkride, it's when you fail a checkride, it just. It happens and it's okay.
You learn from it and you grow. And, yeah, don't get so far down and knocked down that you don't want to bring yourself back up.
There's people out there to talk to as well, and those that will support you and be your cheerleaders and find those people, you know, and do what you want to do. Don't let your preconceived notions of what you should or shouldn't do keep you from doing something that you really, really want to do. So I just wish everyone could have an aha moment because it is absolutely like getting struck with lightning. I can't explain it other than, yeah, it was aha. And yet I think if I knew from a very early age that I wanted to fly airplanes, I still would have gotten there, but it wouldn't probably have like, been that. Yeah, just lightning rod of go do this now and find out how to do it and look for multiple options and solutions. So, yeah, that's. I know. It's kind of big and broad and varied, to answer your question.
[00:35:08] Speaker B: No, no, no, no, no.
That's beautiful. That's beautiful. I couldn't top it. Yeah, you back yourself and. And the failure thing is, you know, I think people are very scared to fail.
[00:35:21] Speaker C: I love the idea of failing forwards, falling forwards, you know. Yeah, crack, as you say. You're like. You're like the breakthrough. You'll learn something.
[00:35:30] Speaker B: But you know, you'll, you'll.
[00:35:32] Speaker C: Yeah, yeah. I always say momentum precedes clarity. You've got to start moving and then stuff. You might find the things right for you, might find things wrong for you, but you'll never find out anything sat on your bum.
[00:35:42] Speaker A: Exactly.
[00:35:43] Speaker C: Just hoping the world crumb to you because it's not going to.
[00:35:45] Speaker A: Exactly.
[00:35:46] Speaker B: So, yeah, brilliant. Hey Cherish, I've got to say we could talk for hours. I got, I got to wrap up and we will definitely have you back on the podcast. But thank you so much for your time. Been a fascinating story. I've enjoyed it immensely. I'm sure our listeners will enjoy it a lot. I'm going to ask you to send through some cool pictures of all the catalog aircraft that you sent through and some, some pictures of a young Cherish and, and maybe cherished out down route some or, or all fatigued up in some interesting places so that we can share that on the Facebook page as well.
[00:36:19] Speaker A: Yeah, we'll do.
[00:36:20] Speaker B: Thank you. Thank you so much, Ruth. I really enjoyed it. And we'll speak to you again soon. Thank you.
[00:36:23] Speaker A: Absolutely. Thanks for having me on. Mark,
[00:36:33] Speaker D: Thanks for listening to the Sky Careers Podcast.
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