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HERA AVIATION GROUP BLOG
OUR JOURNEY
Hera Aviation Group Blog
We're a growing community, and we want to hear from you. If you're an aviation innovator, and you'd like to see your story featured on our blog, please get in touch!


Open Skies: Examining Airline Recruitment and Training Strategies
One thing my daughters taught me is that they learned more from my actions than anything I may have tried to teach them. My precocious...
Shirley Phillips, DPT, Non-Profit Mentor
Jul 29, 20223 min read
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The Importance of Diversity in Decision Making
The first woman to fly on the space shuttle, Sally Ride, recalled in interviews that the male engineers planning her mission anticipated...
Shirley Phillips, DPT, Non-Profit Mentor
Jul 1, 20222 min read
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Women Supporting Women
I feel very fortunate for the fact that I have been able to go through my aviation training and career thus far with one of my closest...
Mattie Bohanan
Jun 17, 20223 min read
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The Flame in a Dark Room
The other night I lit a new candle for the first time. I was enjoying the raspberry & persimmon scent more than I originally anticipated,...
Mattie Bohanan
Apr 8, 20222 min read
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Aviation Needs Caregivers
One part of Hera Aviation Group’s mission is about changing the industry of aviation in a positive way for caregivers. If you are not a...
Shirley Phillips, DPT, Non-Profit Mentor
Apr 1, 20222 min read
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Life's Trim Control
When I came to college to pursue a degree in Professional Flight, I was new to the part 141 world. I was already a private pilot, and so...
Mattie Bohanan
Mar 11, 20223 min read
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The Delicate Balance of Humility and Confidence
My return to aviation over the past few months has been exhilarating and terrifying all at the same time. My range of emotions at any...
Erin McWhirter
Mar 4, 20224 min read
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Becoming Life's PIC
One of the biggest things I reiterate to my students is to start executing pilot-in-command (PIC) thinking and decision making. It is so...
Mattie Bohanan
Feb 18, 20222 min read
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What we can learn about Inclusion from a Passenger Briefing
A term that gets thrown out a lot in today’s day and age is “diversity and inclusion.” Diversity and inclusion are what HERA advocates...
Mattie Bohanan
Jan 28, 20223 min read
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A Snowflake's Beauty
When I woke up last Sunday, I was able to enjoy my cup of coffee to snow falling peacefully outside, which is a rare sight for Auburn,...
Mattie Bohanan
Jan 21, 20222 min read
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Taking My Voice to New Heights
If you know me in person, you know that I am typically reserved and relatively shy until you get to know me. I have been this way since I...
Mattie Bohanan
Jan 14, 20223 min read
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Reclaiming A Dream
By: Erin McWhirter I knew what I wanted to do at a very young age. My first memory of knowing in my heart that I would fly airplanes was...
Erin McWhirter
Jan 7, 20225 min read
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The Blessing and Curse of Singular Focus
I once was flying with a student on Christmas Eve in the western mountains of North Carolina. We were flying out of a small private...
Shirley Phillips, DPT, Non-Profit Mentor
Dec 17, 20213 min read
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Breaking with Tradition
I was working as a ground instructor at an airline when I was singled out for a reprimand. I had asked for permission to work from my...
Shirley Phillips, DPT, Non-Profit Mentor
Dec 9, 20212 min read
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Pink is the New Black
You may not have to become an expert in international affairs to fly around the world, but as a profession, I think we benefit from...
Shirley Phillips, DPT, Non-Profit Mentor
Dec 3, 20214 min read
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Caregiving Includes Caring for Self
When I was preparing for the dreaded CFI check-ride, it was all-consuming. It didn’t help that I was preparing for it during the original...
Mattie Bohanan
Nov 19, 20213 min read
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Taking Advantage of Opportunity
Auburn University just got done with their Auburn Business Aviation Days, where industry professionals come to our campus to expose...
Mattie Bohanan
Nov 12, 20212 min read
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My Route to HERA
My path to getting involved with HERA was as circuitous as the route I navigated on my first solo cross country when I didn’t understand...
Shirley Phillips, DPT, Non-Profit Mentor
Nov 5, 20215 min read
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Girl Talk
There is a double standard in the aviation industry surrounding “girl talk.” While “locker room talk” or speech that is crude and vulgar...
Mattie Bohanan
Oct 29, 20212 min read
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A Pilot Learns How Not to Fly
Rain sizzled on the windshield as we were flung into a dark gray cloud. I was flying a Saab 340, a twin-engine propeller driven aircraft,...
Shirley Phillips, DPT, Non-Profit Mentor
Oct 22, 202110 min read
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