In 2019, Captain Suzy Garrett and her daughter Donna Garrett made history as the first mother-daughter duo to fly a commercial airplane together for SkyWest Airlines.
As Donna was growing up, it didn’t seem strange to her that her mother worked as an airplane pilot. This was because her father had the same profession, so flying an airplane seemed like a normal thing.
Donna even described it as the “boring job” her parents did when they went to work. But as she grew older, she began to take an interest in their profession. She saw how passionate they were about their careers and how it gave them the freedom to travel the world.
Inspired by her parents’ love for flying, Donna decided to pursue the same career path.
Fast forward to September 2019, Donna was in the cockpit with her mother, performing a flight for SkyWest Airlines as the First Officer.
Suzy celebrated 30 years at SkyWest when she teamed up with Donna, making the milestone even more special.
Being a captain runs in the family, as Suzy’s husband Doug and their son Mark are also pilots. A family that aims high!
“We absolutely love our job. You don’t often see that in other professions,” Suzy said. “None of our children thought about becoming pilots, but when you look at other careers, like sitting in an office, and then see how happy we are – it opens their eyes.”
The photo of the proud duo in the cockpit went viral in 2020, and Suzy recalls the reactions of people as one of the most heartwarming parts of the experience.
Suzy enjoys working with her daughter and thinks that being a pilot is a great profession for her since she likes “variety and excitement” in her life.
“It’s nice that your child can experience what you have experienced. She is part of the SkyWest family,” said the proud mother.
The picture of Donna and Suzy sharing a flight deck symbolized a happy and remarkable moment in aviation, especially since many female pilots struggle to establish themselves in a male-dominated field.
This is not the first time Suzy made history, as she was also one of the first women hired by SkyWest. She has been with the airline since 1989, living her lifelong dream of being a pilot for over three decades.
Suzy fell in love with the sky after taking her second flight from Arizona to Los Angeles in the eighth grade. She was fascinated by the sunset as she looked out her cabin window.
She knew that such a big dream would not be easy to achieve, but she persisted.
The determined Suzy enrolled in the aviation school at Mount San Antonio College in California in 1984. She was a flight instructor for a few years before landing her first job at SkyWest.
Suzy said she did not experience discrimination in the cockpit and felt that she had the same opportunities as her male colleagues.
Unpleasant remarks came from those who knew little about aviation or commercial airplanes.
“Outside the profession, I had to convince people,” she said.
Suzy got used to seeing the surprised expressions on people’s faces when they realized she was the one who had landed the commercial airplane.
Suzy said the landscape has changed, and people are becoming more accustomed to seeing female pilots. Most importantly, she is pleased that her viral photo has inspired young women to enter the industry.
Suzy also shared that flying is an excellent career choice for women because it offers flexibility in working hours.
