Caymanian Female Pilot Joins CAL

October 27, 2010

Caymanian Female Pilot Joins CAL

Cayman Airways Limited (CAL) is thrilled to announce that Caymanian Giselah Ebanks of West Bay has become the first Caymanian female pilot to be qualified as a First Officer on the Twin Otter aircrafts operated by Cayman Airways Express. At age 20, Ms Ebanks is also the youngest female pilot to ever be employed by the national airline.

“Cayman Airways has always taken great pride in seeing our people advance in their careers with us,” commented Cayman Airways’ Acting CEO Fabian Whorms who added that Cayman Airways is very committed to the development of young Caymanians in the aviation industry. “In the past five years the airline has hired 12 young Caymanian pilots for its Cayman Airways Express service and has been directly involved in their training and professional development. We are very proud of Giselah’s accomplishments as a pilot and we hope that her success story will inspire other young people in our community to go after their dreams knowing that nothing is out of reach.”

Although no one in her family is directly involved in the aviation industry, Ms Ebanks says she was fascinated by airplanes from a very young age. “One of my first toys was a mini Boeing 737 aircraft, and one of my favourite childhood memories is going to the airport every Sunday afternoon with my family to watch airplanes land and takeoff,” she explains.

Ms Ebanks earned her Private Pilot License from San Diego Flight Training International at the age of 18. She then completed her flight training at Fort Lauderdale Professional Flight Training International. Upon joining Cayman Airways, Giselah went through the airline’s standard Twin Otter initial training program, passing with flying colours.

General Manager for Cayman Airways Express, Captain Johan Bjuroe, commented: “It is an  honour to train and welcome a talented young woman such as Giselah into the cockpit. We are very proud of her and wish her a long and prosperous career with the airline.”

When asked how she feels about her new position, she said: “It feels awesome to be the youngest female pilot at Cayman Airways and I hope that my story will encourage and inspire all young people in Cayman to always go after their dreams no matter how difficult or unusual they may seem.”