Congrats to first female Indigenous Medivac Air Ambulance team in the air!

The first female Indigenous Medivac Air Ambulance team was announced this week in Manitoba. Congratulations to Captain Robyn Shlachetla of Wabowden, Manitoba and First Officer Raven Beardy of Shamattawa, Manitoba.

CTIF would like to acknowledge International Women´s Day by congratulating Captain Robyn Shlachetla and First Officer Raven Beardy, of Manitoba, Canada, as the first female first female Indigenous Medivac Air Ambulance team.

They lifted off this evening, with Missinippi Medivac and are proving indigenous youth are soaring within the community.

This historic Manitoba flight also coincides with Women of Aviation Week (Mar 5-11th Worldwide).

Credits:

* Meegwetch to Winter Fred of Wabowden & Missinipi for the photo.

From a post by David McLeod (Facebook, March 8 - 2018)

More below from CBC News, Canada:

The 32-year-old has been flying for 15 years but had never met another female Indigenous pilot before Beardy, who started flying five years ago.

On Monday, the pair worked together for the first time. They typically had alternate shifts, and Beardy, 27, was supposed to be off duty but was offered some overtime.

"It was totally by chance that it all happened," said Shlachetka.

Recognizing the significance of their shift, the women posed for a photo in the plane's cockpit. Shlachetka then sent it to her mom, not realizing it would get posted on Facebook. By Thursday morning, the photo had been shared nearly 12,000 times.

"I'm overwhelmed. I'm definitely overwhelmed. We didn't expect this kind of reaction," Shlachetka said.

"It feels great," Beardy said. "It's super exciting."

It wasn't until Wednesday that the women heard the photo and their story was going viral on social media. Their 13-hour shifts in remote areas gave them little time or connection to check on anything.

"We've been doing nothing but flying and sleeping, so we had no clue what was going on," Shlachetka said.

The women say they are honoured by the attention and hope it encourages others to follow their path.

"Women in aviation — it's a pretty lonely thing. We're pretty sparse in the industry," Shlachetka said. "I really wish there was a lot more."

'Aviation is a lifeline'

Missinippi, based in The Pas, serves First Nations communities in northern Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Ontario and Nunavut.

Growing up in one of those remote communities, where access is often only by air, Beardy was fascinated by the planes and admired the pilots who flew them.

"Aviation is a lifeline and I wanted to be part of that," she said.

She once required a medical flight out of her community, Shamattawa, not far from Hudson Bay, due to an appendix issue.

For Shlachetka, who grew up in Wabowden, about 570 kilometres north of Winnipeg, there was never any doubt she would fly.

She first set foot on an aircraft at age four, tagging along with her dad, who was a float plane pilot.

"I used to follow him all the time, so I've grown up around the docks and planes and flying," she said, adding she would study what he was doing.

"Originally, I was going to be a float pilot, but it's a little hard to maintain that kind of life when we have eight months of winter, so I decided to go all the way with my licence."

'Be fearless and unapologetic'

When she was finishing flight school, Shlachetka mentioned to her dad that she didn't know of many female pilots, never mind Indigenous ones.

"They hadn't hit the news, they hadn't hit the Internet. I literally heard about no one," she said. "He said, 'Robyn, if you can't find a role model, just become one.' So that's what my goal was."

'He said, "Robyn, if you can't find a role model, just become one." So that's what my goal was.'

- Robyn Shlachetka

Asked what kind of advice she would give to girls and women who want to pursue the same career, Beardy said be strong and determined.

"Go for it. Stay focused. Work hard and don't give up," she said. "Like anyone, you're going to face struggles, but there are people out there, too, who are willing to help out.

"And if anyone wants to talk to me, I'm here for them."

Shlachetka echoed that, noting that when she was much younger and told people she wanted to be a pilot, they scoffed. They told her it couldn't happen because she was a girl.

But her parents — like Beardy's parents — were her biggest supporters, encouraging her every step along the way. Shlachetka is now trying to do the same for young people she encounters. 

She tells her daughters to be whatever they want, to "be fearless and unapologetic and just do it."

Posted by Bjorn Ulfsson / CTIF News