Just over 10% of all American certified pilots are women. And only a little more than 5% of American commercial pilots are women. But a local group of female flight students just may give a bump to those numbers.
Cruise on over to Shoreline Aviation at Marshfield Municipal Airport on Massachusetts’ historic South Shore and you could come across any of these close-knit ladies setting out in one of the company’s Piper Warrior training planes.
Isabella DiRusso, Andrea Hewett, Varvara Karenski, Helen Lin, and Abby Marinelli are in various stages of their training by Shoreline’s team of certified flight instructors, but they all share the passion and determination to learn to fly. And they love the bonding they’ve made with each other along the way.
Isabella DiRusso, left, Abby Marinelli, Andrea Hewett, Helen Lin, and Varvara Karenski mug with one of Shoreline Aviation’s Piper Warrior trainer planes.
DiRusso, 23, takes lessons a few times a week while working on her bachelor’s degree in Aviation Management fulltime at Bridgewater State University. She has over 40 hours flying time, seven solo. Her part-time working gig is serving in the Air Force Reserves as a loadmaster. She supervises the on- and offloading of cargo and passengers for the massive C-5M Super Galaxy aircraft, the largest aircraft in the Air Force, with a 140-ton payload. She also flies as part of the air crew. She wants to fly for the Reserves before moving to commercial airlines.
“I wanted to be a pilot my whole life,” the Braintree resident said. “My dream since before I can remember has been to become an airline pilot.” DiRusso went into the Air Force Reserves out of high school. “I have fallen in love with the C-5, and it would be my greatest honor to become a pilot on it. I believe this would be the perfect gateway into the airlines.”
Hewett, 31, began taking lessons in 2018 in Denver. She’s flown over 300 hours and has her private and commercial licenses and instrument certification. She moved back home to resume training after a break.
“My discovery flight was actually with Shoreline, while I was home for Christmas,” she said. “The discovery flight was a gift from my sister, because she knew how much I enjoyed adventure sports and trying new things! I had already graduated college and had no plans to pursue it professionally until I took that discovery flight.”
The Hingham native plans to become a certified flight instructor. “After that, I am really not sure where the career will take me,” she said. “There are so many fun and interesting opportunities in aviation. I do plan to fly for the rest of my life professionally, but the form that will take is yet to be determined. The ultimate outcome would be to eventually own a plane and fly recreationally in addition to my professional endeavors. I plan to be the kind of pilot who never stops adding ratings and extending my education in aviation.”
Karenski is the youngest of the group, at 15, and has been flying since fifth grade. She recently received her student pilot’s certificate. She has 25 hours of flying time and plans to solo on her 16th birthday.
“My introduction to aviation was purely by chance,” she said. “A few years ago, my mother gifted my father a flight lesson for their wedding anniversary. The three of us went up together with an instructor, but I ended up enjoying it the most. And so it was decided that I would start flight lessons.”
Karenski co-founded the Aviation Club at her high school in Ashland. She’s even built with club mates an electrohydrodynamic plasma thruster to attach to a remote-control plane. EHD thrusters, also known as ionic wind propulsion, convert electrical energy into kinetic energy without any moving parts. It’s use with RC planes is in its early stages. She said they also tinkered with the idea of creating a hobby jet engine.
“It’s great to see that you’re not alone,” Karenski, who is from Belarus, said in endorsing the meaningfulness of their flying group. “Approximately 6% of pilots are women globally, so it is incredibly empowering to connect with a diverse and supportive group of women in aviation. The only person ever stopping you is yourself. Start now, start early and unprepared; it’s not worth waiting. If you have a passion, don’t wait to chase it.”
Lin, 41, organized the group. She has over 140 hours of flight time and has earned her private pilot’s certificate. She said she wants to fly for fun but also fly commercially.
“The problem with flight school training, at least Part 61 (basically, training at one’s own pace), is that it is isolated learning and you only have one instructor,” she said. “Personally, I think having a social setting for learning can help people learn faster and better. Sharing ideas and knowledge amongst peers can be tremendously helpful to the learning process. That’s why I wanted to start a group of peers who want to get together and share, study, and help each other out. Women generally learn and communicate differently than men – so I think it’s helpful to have other women to talk to about struggles and provide feedback and support.”
So, the Weymouth resident (formerly from Seattle) organized the group to start a community of female flying students to help and support each other. Helen asked Shoreline flight instructors for contacts of the women they taught. They got together for lunch and followed that with starting a group chat.
Abby Marinelli, left, Andrea Hewett, Varvara Karenski, Isabella DiRusso, and Helen Lin pack into the four-seat Piper Warrior trainer.
“It’s nice to share stories with each other about our CFIs, flights we’ve had, and just learn from each other in general,” said Marinelli, 21, who is working toward her private pilot’s license. The Hanson resident already had a couple of feet in the field. “My grandfather was a Navy pilot and flew with Delta. My uncle flies and teaches helicopter flight in the Marines.”
Her other aviation connection can be found right there with Shoreline Aviation. Marinelli worked with Shoreline’s line crew while attending airframe and powerplant mechanics school, and she’s been working in Shoreline’s maintenance department for the past year. She has 45 hours of flight time, has soloed, and is preparing to do cross countries (flights with landings at airport locations at least 50 nautical miles from the departure point, using navigation techniques).
“Being a pilot is definitely the career in the forefront of my mind,” she said. “Although I’m still not certain, I like the idea of flying for an air ambulance company or a small charter company.”
This connected group has garnered wide support at Shoreline.
“One afternoon Andrea was flying, practicing right seat landings for her CFI ride,” Shoreline President Keith Douglass said. “I radioed her and asked if I could fly with her, not only to see how she was doing, but also how our instructors were doing teaching her. As it was the first time I spent any time with Andrea, I was so impressed with her flying, but also with her aviation goals. For where she is in her aviation career, Andrea is one of the best I have had the pleasure of flying with. In all the years we have never had such a dedicated group of ladies. This group of inspiring female pilots are a big part of the Shoreline family.”
These students are also joined in their enthusiasm for a female focus on flight training by Alex Doyle, who recently joined Shoreline as a certified flight instructor.
“Working with a group of women passionate about aviation and supporting one another during training is incredibly rewarding,” she said. “Their energy, determination, and strong sense of community make for a truly inspiring environment, and it’s exciting to see them grow into confident, capable pilots together.”
Doyle, 22, joins the teaching staff having earned her private pilot’s license at age 20, and her certifications to teach, including ratings and multi-engine aircraft, last year. She’s been instructing for a year, most recently in western Massachusetts. She moved east to Hingham to be with her mom and through an instructor friend learned of the opportunity to teach at Shoreline. She considers this an opportunity to contribute to others’ success while advancing her own development.
“As a flight instructor, I view myself as both a mentor and a guide – providing support, prioritizing safety, and growing alongside my students.” she said. “Every day brings a chance to improve, not just for those I’m teaching, but for myself as well. My goal is to help them become the best pilots they can be.”
As with the other ladies, Doyle – who has flown all over the northeastern and central parts of the country – has further flying ambitions. “I want to gain as much experience as possible and become the best version of myself, all while continuing to build a strong foundation of knowledge,” she said. “I’m particularly interested in flying jets and plan to continue advancing my training here. I’m really inspired by the ambition and determination of this group of women.”
Varvara Karenski, left, Isabella DiRusso, Helen Lin, Abby Marinelli, and Andrea Hewett have formed a close bond as flight students.
DiRusso echoes the sentiment about their group. “The cool thing about having a lady’s flying group is having people you can relate to as we go through training,” she said. “Somebody once put flying as a female in an interesting perspective for me. She said something like, ‘There is something to be said by being in a space where nobody looks like you.’ As a loadmaster and student pilot, I definitely relate to this. I don’t mind being in a male-dominated field, but sometimes it can feel lonely. Now that we’ve met up, we’ve been able to share concerns and share each other’s victories. It feels less alone! In a male-dominant community, knowing so many women is a very special thing. It’s already made the greatest difference in my student pilot career.”
Hewett relishes the camaraderie of this group of female pilots. “I think it is just really empowering to have a group of female pilots, all at different places in our aviation pursuits and with a range of different goals, but here to support each other all the same,” she said. “Some of us get together for study dates. We celebrate everyone’s wins, whether that be one of us passing a check ride or completing the first solo. It is overall just fun to have this diverse and smart group of women here to witness each other’s journeys and cheer each other on from the sidelines.”
DiRusso, Lin, Hewett, and Karenski are also members of Women in Aviation – Boston Chapter and stay connected through that as well. The Boston Chapter is a group of aviators/enthusiasts from all different fields in the Boston area.
The motivation to learn to fly comes in all colors and stripes.
“I have zero aviation background,” Lin said. “My obsession with becoming a pilot was because some friends bought me an intro flight for a 40th birthday present! Life is funny like that. Suddenly a present will change the course of your life. So far aviation has been nothing like I would have imagined it to be, every step of the way, so I’ve pretty much let go of the end result and just enjoy the journey.”
“Flying does not run in my family; the passion for aviation is unique to me!” DiRusso exclaimed. “I didn’t grow up knowing any other pilots on a personal level, but now that I have some experience in aviation, I have met some pilots who are now my friends and role models. I spent my entire childhood not knowing anybody with the same passion for aviation, so I have really enjoyed growing up and meeting more people with the same interests as I.”
“Flying has always been my career goal,” Marinelli said. “Being an aircraft mechanic is the avenue I’m taking to get there.”
“At first, my dream was to be a commercial pilot for Delta,” Karenski said. “However, my interest has shifted towards the fields of aero/astronautical engineering and physics. I’d hoped to have some involvement as a pilot for International Space Station missions. However, I would love to apply my knowledge from flight training to a career as a flight engineer on the ISS. I absolutely see myself owning a plane in the future. Aviation is not only my passion but also my hobby, and I find a great deal of enjoyment in being at KGHG and working hands-on with the Piper Warriors. The process of learning to fly is a joy, so I try to savor every one of my crisp mornings on the ramp.”
“I had never known any family or friends who flew, so it was a brand-new concept to me that anyone could just sign up to start flying airplanes, but I fell in love immediately,” Hewett said. “The sensation I feel when flying is a combination of high focus and pure joy. The best part about this is how much it requires your presence of mind. I love that when I’m flying, I’m solely focused on what I’m doing and what is going on inside the airplane. I think this is why flying is both such a fun challenge and well as something that gives me so much peace. I would love to head out on some flights with these ladies anytime!”
But getting to that point takes time, dedication, and real effort.
Alex Doyle has joined Shoreline Aviation as a certified flight instructor.
“It gets hard, so don’t give up,” Doyle said. “There were times I wanted to, and I’m so glad I didn’t. The main thing is focus on the dream, and remember, no matter how hard it gets it will be worth it!”