SAFA Skysailor Magazine

11 July | August 2021 SKY SAILOR lot of people. It was a great introduction into the culture of the sport,” she added. Fellow pilot Babushka was also at the fly-in event and was excited to see Aline in action as a solo pilot for the first time. “With women under-represented in our sport, it is so exciting to see more female pilots discovering their love of sports aviation, and Aline has exceeded any expectation I had from what the event we organised could result in,” Babushka said. “I thought some of the participants would get interested and further down the track (maybe a year or three later) would eventually get into the sport, but to see Aline register for the course on the day, finish it in record time and turn up as a certified pilot at our next fly-in event was truly heart-warming. Every day of the event, Aline was one of the first pilots on launch, all geared up, focused and ready to go, and she took every opportunity to fly throughout the weekend and at many other sites since. Her dedication and passion for the sport reminds me a lot of when I started at 18 years old.” She added. “I know there are many more women out there who, like us, crave adventures, and all we need to do is create more opportu- nities for them to discover the sport and fall in love with it. With a baby on the way, I will have less time to organise more opportunities, but I really hope others will take over and keep the momentum going in Victoria and nationally,” Babushka added. Photo: Richard Binstead Photo: Bruce Agnew