Meet The Father and Daughter Duo Who Are Both Commercial Airline Pilots
(ATLANTA, GA) Wade Austin-McDonald, who just turned 65-years old, is celebrating his retirement after 44 years of being a pilot with his daughter Fiona, who is also a pilot. Wade, a Guyana native who now resides in Antigua, has always dreamed of being a pilot since he received a PanAm jet toy as a gift when he was 7-years old. He achieved it and eventually passed down the passion to pursue the career to his daughter, Fiona.
Fiona said while her father was a great motivator for becoming a pilot, it was the first time she saw a woman in the cockpit, while working as a flight attendant, that made her pursue becoming one.
It feels really good to follow in his footsteps but this job is one where you have to create your own path. It is a very dynamic career and all the work is on you. No one else can fly for you, do your checkrides or perform your duties. His story may also be totally different from mine as a woman in aviation,” Fiona told Because Of Them We Can.
The father-daughter duo have been working for the same airline, which gave her father the opportunity to conduct her first-line commercial flight training.
“It was wonderful, I pretended not to be excited as I wanted her to relax and perform her duties,” said Wade.
