{"id":10814,"date":"2018-08-09T01:56:58","date_gmt":"2018-08-09T01:56:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/stateaviationjournal.com\/?p=10814"},"modified":"2018-08-09T01:57:34","modified_gmt":"2018-08-09T01:57:34","slug":"stacy-howard-reflects-on-her-career-in-aviation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/stateaviationjournal.com\/index.php\/state-news\/arizona\/stacy-howard-reflects-on-her-career-in-aviation\/%20","title":{"rendered":"Stacy Howard Reflects on Her Career in Aviation"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Kim Stevens<\/p>\n

\"NBAA-1093-3After experiencing an incredible journey in aviation, Stacy Howard ended an accomplished career recently, stepping down from her role with the National Business Aircraft Association (NBAA) as the Western Regional Representative, having worked in that position for more than six years. From her fear of flying at an early age, to crafting a career that included important milestones with the 99s, aviation insurance, AOPA and most recently NBAA, I asked her if she had ever imagined that aviation would take her where it has.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe short answer is no,\u201d said Howard. \u201cIn the early days, when I first learned to fly, I was like a kid living in a fairy tale.\u201d Falcon Field [Mesa, AZ] was a magic kingdom in those days, and Howard said she was surrounded by fascinating creatures, with powerful warrior names like Thunderbolt, Mustang, Liberator, and Spitfire; playful critters called Cubs and Ercoupes; and vigorous workhorses called Flying Fortresses, Caravans, and Constellations. \u201cI couldn\u2019t get enough flying stories from all those pilots I met in the airport restaurant and on the shady steps of the airport terminal,\u201d said Howard. \u201cThey were all men, of course, and they seemed sage and courageous, and I learned something about flight from every story.\u201d Howard said some were funny, others were inspiring, and others were tragic. But for Howard, there was a lesson learned in every tale. Howard didn\u2019t know it at the time, but she was also creating her own stories with every flight she took, and it wasn\u2019t until she joined the 99s, and met other women pilots, that she realized that she too, had something to offer.<\/p>\n

The first time she realized she could make a difference was when she organized a Flying Companion Seminar for the 99s. \u201cNo one in our chapter had ever done it before,\u201d said Howard. Armed with a paperback book written by the Orange County 99s, and organizational training she had received as a Girl Scout Leader, she started making phone calls to line up speakers and resources. \u201cI worried about meeting everyone\u2019s expectations as the room filled with wives and girlfriends of local pilots,\u201d said Howard. Presenters took their turn at the podium to explain aerodynamics, chart reading, and survival skills, and each student took their turn on the flight simulator. As the day progressed, Howard said she could see fear and apathy morph into confidence and curiosity in the faces of those women. \u201cIt was magical.\u201d<\/p>\n

Later, and even more motivational, was when Howard helped organize practice meets for the National Intercollegiate Flying Association (NIFA). College students from around the state [Arizona] flew into Deer Valley Airport to get ready for their regional intercollegiate competition. \u201cAt that moment, I realized I had become a mentor, and more than ever, I wanted to give those eager young pilots something that would last,\u201d said Howard.<\/p>\n

Even with those early accomplishments, it was a life altering event that led her to a career in aviation. \u201cMaking a living in aviation did not occur to me until I suddenly became a widow,\u201d said Howard. At the time she had no degree to fall back on. \u201cAll I had was my flying community,\u201d recalled Howard. Pat Costello, Howard\u2019s aviation insurance agent, then took a chance on her. He needed an outside sales agent, and he thought it would be easier to teach her insurance than to teach some insurance agent<\/p>\n

about aviation. \u201cIf you want to learn about aviation, insurance is an amazing teacher,\u201d said Howard. \u201cYou gain a whole new perspective when you look at it through the lens of risk management.\u201d Howard\u2019s new job exposed her to every facet of the industry – individual ownership, flight training, aircraft repair and manufacturing, commercial air service, airport operations, and regulatory compliance. \u201cAll of it.\u201d<\/p>\n

This experience led Howard to a new role with the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA). Working in the area of government relations and association advocacy, she worked at AOPA as a regional representative from 1995 until 2012, responsible for extending the reach of the Association into state and local public policy environment in Arizona, Nevada and Utah.<\/p>\n

Howard said she was hired as a Regional Representative for two reasons. \u201cI had an airplane and an aviation network that extended into five western states, and I was a woman.\u201d Howard said AOPA looked at their male dominated member base at the time and realized there might be an untapped market. \u00c2\u00a0\u201cThey wanted to be more female friendly,\u201d said Howard. \u201cI was lucky to be in the right place at the right time with right the credentials.\u201d<\/p>\n

As Howard began to grow her network and create opportunities to influence outcomes on the political front, it didn\u2019t take her long to realize that a pilot\u2019s best friend is his or her state aviation official. \u201cThey, more than anyone, recognize the importance of having a system of airports,\u201d said Howard. \u201cAirports are where pilots are born, and where we live. Without airports, we will cease to exist.\u201d Howard compared it to the loss of forests and jungles leading to the disappearance of diverse lifeforms \u2013 \u201cthe loss of a community airport diminishes our habitat, and with it we lose our history, our culture, and our unique diversity.\u201d<\/p>\n

Howard said through the advocacy work that began in the classroom, she attempted to perfect while working for NBAA, whose resources enabled her to expand her network exponentially. \u201cBy representing companies as well as individuals, I was better able to help political leaders view the industry in economic terms, a language they respect,\u201d said Howard. \u201cBusiness aviation drives aviation business. It ensures downtown, suburban and rural airports thrive financially, and elected officials love publicly owned assets that add to the community tax base.\u201d<\/p>\n

When asked whether the pure joy of flying can get lost when advocating for aviation, or whether it\u2019s that joy and passion that drives the fight, Howard admitted to both. \u201cThere were days when I felt discouraged by the jealousy, fear and even anger that the non-flying public exhibits toward pilots and airplanes,\u201d related Howard, \u201cand I am occasionally troubled by the greed or carelessness with which a few public officials and aviation professionals operate, but that feeling always passes, and there remains within me the sweet desire to experience flight again, and to help preserve that privilege for those who come after me.\u201d<\/p>\n

From a kid living a fairy tale to knowing what it feels like to be a mentor, Howard has thought about today\u2019s youth. While she was working with teen aged girls at their 99s Discover Aviation Camp for Girl Scouts, she soon realized that these girls were not yet interested in aviation history. \u201cFew of them wanted to see and touch antique airplanes, or hear about the difficulties early pilots faced, Howard said. \u201cThey took the miracle and privilege of flight as a matter of fact, and simply wanted to sample it, to see if it had any relevance or role in their own lives.\u201d But as the week went on, and they traveled to the airport again and again, sat in aircraft on the ramp, flew state-of-the-art simulators, visited wind tunnels and walked among the wreckage at Embry Riddle\u2019s accident investigation lab, Howard said their anticipation grew. And by the end of the week, when they emerged from the aircraft after their first flight, there was vivid excitement in their eyes and voices, and everyone knew they had formed a new and meaningful bond with one another. \u201cThey would never again take flying for granted,\u201d exclaimed Howard.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe wisdom I would share is this – Never forget the joy of your first success, your first solo, or the day you mastered one of the most complex skills in the world and became a pilot; and as you move forward into your careers and avocations, remember to reach back and share that joy with the others who stand in line behind you, looking up.\u201d<\/p>\n

As Howard enters a new season in her life, she will continue to fly some. \u201cMy husband and I hangar a Bonanza and a Citabria at Falcon Field in Mesa, and all of our close friends are aviators.\u201d When asked if she will stay engaged locally, she replied, \u201cPerhaps, but at a much more leisurely pace.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Kim Stevens After experiencing an incredible journey in aviation, Stacy Howard ended an accomplished career recently, stepping down from her role with the National Business Aircraft Association (NBAA) as the Western Regional Representative, having worked in that position for more than six years. From her fear of flying at an early age, to crafting […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-10814","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-arizona"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/stateaviationjournal.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10814","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/stateaviationjournal.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/stateaviationjournal.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stateaviationjournal.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stateaviationjournal.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=10814"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/stateaviationjournal.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10814\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":10816,"href":"https:\/\/stateaviationjournal.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10814\/revisions\/10816"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/stateaviationjournal.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=10814"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stateaviationjournal.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=10814"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stateaviationjournal.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=10814"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}