Mom is always mom: pilot and co-pilot are mother and daughter!
In the business world, this is something that happens a lot, especially when it comes to family businesses, it is easy [...]
Southwest Airlines
Delta
In the business world, it's something that happens often, especially if they are companies of family, It is easy to see parent and child at work together. Much more difficult, however, is to see parent and child together in the booth of piloting. This is what happened to pilot Kamelia Zarka and her co-pilot, Maria Zarka, her daughter.
The story of Kamelia and Mary
In this article:
Kamelia Zarka has joined Hawaiian Airlines as a flight attendant in 1992 and then became a pilot in 1999 as a first female captain Tonga In a commercial airline.
"Flying for Hawaiian Airlines with my daughter, side by side in the cockpit, was a dream come true.
I always knew Mary would be a fantastic pilot, she was always brilliant and professional, but sitting next to her as she flew the plane with such skill and ease still left me speechless."
Kamelia Zarka
"Everyone always tells me how incredible it is to fly with my mother, and today I experienced it. She is an amazing pilot and one of the best. I call her 'Capt. Mom' now.
I feel fortunate to have a mom who cares so much and has worked hard to pave the way for other women and me, being the first tonga woman to captain a commercial airline. And now it's my turn. I look forward to continuing my mother's legacy as I leave my mark as a Hawaiian Airlines pilot."
Maria Zarka
Hawaiian Airlines' fleet is quite small (19 planes), so it will often happen for mom and daughter to meet in the cockpit.
Southwest mom and daughter pilots
Not long before, in July 2022, even Southwest Airlines had two particular pilots on board, also mother and daughter: captain Holly Petitt and first officer Keely Petitt.
"It was a dream come true. First I fell in love with this career, then it happened to one of my children. It's surreal."
Holly Petitt
Starting out as a flight attendant and then captain, Petitt often took her youngest daughter with her on flights. Growing up in the world of aviation the passion grew so large that she became a pilot like Mother.
Delta's trio
Dulcis in fundo, a couple of years ago not one, but well 2 daughters followed in their mother's footsteps by also becoming airline pilots in Delta Airlines.
"Other parents would say, 'How can you let your children fly in an airplane?' I would rather give them the keys to the plane than go with their friends late at night to parties. You know, driving in the car..."
In short, sympathetic stories of family life at high altitude, but mostly stories of women who hold important roles and make career in the world of work, a step further and further to raise awareness of the gender equality.
