Meet The Pilots

TEARA FRASER

EPISODE 1 - Launching an Airline

“I will step into the darkness of the unknown and one of two things will happen. I will have something solid to stand on or I will be taught to fly.”

Teara has been a pilot for over 17 years, since a life-changing flight in a small airplane over Botswana sparked her passion for flying. As a single mom with no background in aviation, she wondered how exactly to make her dreams a reality. Through tenacity and hard work, she earned her commercial pilot’s license in less than a year and “made that impossible thing possible.”

Today she is the founder and CEO of Iskwew Air. “Iskwew” is a Cree word that means woman. Launched on International Women’s Day 2019, Iskwew Air is Canada’s first 100% Indigenous woman-owned airline.

As a proud Métis woman working in a male-dominated industry, the significance of this historic achievement motivates Teara to move forward. With a mission of connecting people to the land, Teara is striving to reclaim matriarchal leadership while promoting Indigenous tourism in the aviation industry.

Episode 1 is now live on YouTube, Facebook, Oculus TV, and many more VR platforms.

NOUR UTAYIM

EPISODE 2 - Third Generation Pilot

"My father gave me the greatest gift anyone could give another person. He gave me a dream."

Following in her grandfather and father's footsteps, Nour dreams of becoming an airline pilot. Her dad flew 727's for Syrian Air, but sadly he passed away when Nour was only 5 years old.

Because of the war in Syria, Nour moved to Canada in 2017. Soon after, she began researching how to get a pilot's license. When she joined a flight school in Quebec, the news traveled quickly to her dad's old flying buddies, who were excited to cheer her on. She even received support from Syria's first and only female airline pilot, Wedad Shujaa, who also had to leave her country due to war.

Nour earned her pilot's license in September 2018. Now she's working towards her ultimate goal- flying for the airlines and continuing the legacy of her father and grandfather.

HANNAH MCLAUGHLIN

EPISODE 3 - Building Her Own Plane

“I’ve had people tell me ‘You can’t build a Starduster, you can’t fly this type of airplane, it will be too challenging for you.' My response is ‘Well I’m a really challenging person, so it’s a good thing I’m building a challenging airplane, we’ll be perfect for each other!'

Hannah is not your average 21 year old. She’s been a pilot for almost 4 years, goes to school for aviation maintenance, and practically lives at the small Oregon airport where she’s building her own airplane. She believes every plane has a unique personality, especially older planes with historical significance. As she puts it, “I’m all about the old airplanes. I learned to fly because I wanted an 80 year old biplane... I like those old things!"

Her airport friends call her a “wing-nut” because of her expansive knowledge of engines and for her determination to build the notoriously difficult Startduster Too aircraft.