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PDK Lady Pilots breaking barriers in DeKalb County
The PDK Lady Pilots has transformed from a small 2020 pandemic meetup into a nonprofit organization with over 100 members dedicated to supporting female aviators.
DEKALB COUNTY, Ga. - The PDK Lady Pilots began as a small meetup at DeKalb-Peachtree Airport during the pandemic and has since grown to more than 100 members.
What they're saying:
What started as a social group is now a nonprofit focused on mentorship and scholarships for aspiring female pilots. The organization's mission is critical in an industry where fewer than 10% of pilots in the U.S. are women, highlighting a persistent gender gap in aviation. Last year alone, the group awarded more than $6,000 in scholarships to help young women get flight training.
Victoria Clark, one of the group's leaders, says her passion for aviation was inspired by her mother, who dreamed of becoming a pilot but never had the opportunity. "My mom always wanted to be a pilot… to her family, the American dream was get a nice, stable desk job… so while she was in school, she became a flight attendant because she loved the idea of flying and that was kind of the closest she could get to like tasting the skies," she explained.
Clark says she’s now living out that dream herself. "I think fully took on her dream of becoming a pilot. And it's really it's fun," she added. However, she notes that aviation still isn’t widely seen as an option for women. "Aviation is not really presented as an option for women… you don't really see that representation and so you don't really think that it's an option for you because you're not seeing it," Clark explained.
That lack of visibility is what led her to help start the PDK Lady Pilots back in 2020. "We had kind of like a group of girls around the airport that we knew about but didn't really know very well," she said. Since then, the group has grown rapidly, and the focus has shifted toward opening doors for others. "We gave out over $6,000 in scholarships last year," Clark said.
She believes building a supportive community is key in an industry long dominated by men. "It's kind of always been like a good old boys club… things are starting to change as more women come into the industry," she explained. For Clark, seeing more young women pursue aviation makes the effort worth it. "It's really fun to see girls who have a similar upbringing to me kind of breaking those barriers and do something that wouldn't have been possible 50 years ago," she added.
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The Source: This is a FOX 5 original report by Kim Leoffler.