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Angela Garvey, Director and Founder of Navigating Aviation, took to the stage with pride as she accepted not one, but two coveted awards at this year’s Australian Aviation Awards.
Held at the Star Casino, Sydney, in August, Angela was awarded Female Aviation Leader of the Year in the Small Business category and the prestigious overall industry Excellence Award in recognition of her dedication and impact in the aviation industry.
Navigating Aviation is a groundbreaking specialist counselling and support service tailored specifically for the aviation community, addressing an urgent and critical gap in the industry.
With a focus on providing bespoke programs and activities, Navigating Aviation empowers aviation businesses and their personnel by offering essential resources and guidance to manage psychosocial hazards and promote inclusion in the workplace.
In her acceptance speech, Angela highlighted one of the industry’s challenges.
“Aviation is the most highly regulated industry in the world, yet the most critical safety element is often ignored: its people,” she said. “General aviation businesses form the backbone of the aviation industry, yet they often lack dedicated support structures.”
“Unlike larger aviation businesses and airlines, general aviation does not have dedicated employee assistance programs, counselling, or tailored educational programs to help businesses and managers recognise and manage the psychosocial hazards unique to aviation.”
Angela expressed her excitement about receiving industry-wide recognition for her dedicated work.
“I’m thrilled to be acknowledged, but what truly energises me is that these awards will shine a spotlight on the issues I’m most passionate about.”
Angela’s journey through aviation has been deeply personal, stemming from a devastating plane crash in her own general aviation business that tragically resulted in the deaths of the pilot and four others.
She continued to fly commercially in her business for another two years, not because she didn’t want a break after such a traumatic event, but because it was necessary to keep the business operating.
She didn’t seek the support she needed because she had to maintain her aviation medical certification and keep her business running to support her family and staff.
“After that event, I spent many years trying to navigate the after-effects with little to no readily available guidance or support,” Angela said.
“I needed a professional who understood the nuances and culture of the industry to help me through what I was experiencing, but I couldn’t find anyone. I ultimately decided it was best to walk away from aviation altogether. However, this resulted in the loss of my love for flying, my connection to the aviation community, my sense of identity, and my ambitions to fly business jets. Naturally, things didn’t improve from there.”
Prior to the accident, Angela owned and operated her own business for seventeen years, that she said was inclusive and supportive of all genders, especially women. Transitioning from this supportive environment, she was shocked when she spent the next decade working in various roles within aviation organisations, where she encountered some deep-seated cultural and behavioural issues.
She said that it wasn’t until more than a decade after the accident, alongside the disappointment of some industry cultural issues, that she finally took responsibility for her own health and reached out for the support she needed.
Through open discussions about her experiences, Angela noticed that many others in the industry began reaching out to her for support and guidance. It was through this lived experience that she began working toward the evolution of Navigating Aviation.
The development and expertise of Navigating Aviation are deeply informed by Angela’s personal experiences and her extensive 35-year aviation career.
“Just as we embed operational safety into our everyday safety management system practices, it is critical that managing psychosocial hazards and promoting inclusion in the workplace also become standard practices, in line with obligations under the Workplace Health and Safety Act.”
The purpose of Navigating Aviation is to address this critical gap, provide essential support, and serve as a catalyst for change within the industry.
In late 2020, Angela finally took to the skies once more, reigniting her passion for flying and reconnecting with her general aviation community.
“After more than twelve years of being hidden under a rock, I found my wings!” Angela said.
Notably, Angela was recently selected as a member of the Freedom Formation Airshow Display Team to perform at the prestigious International Pacific Air Show on the Gold Coast in August 2024.
“The lack of female representation in airshows motivated me to join the Freedom Formation Airshow Display Team,” she said.
“I didn’t just show up asking to join; I had to demonstrate that my skills were equal to, if not better than, those of my peers. Thankfully, instead of being rejected or excluded from potential opportunities, I found myself among a group of respectful and decent men led by team coach and show creator Jeremy Miller, Director and Head of Operations of UPRT Australia, and #1 Lead Pilot Trent Stewart.”
Also flying in the airshow were three other inspiring Aussie women – Emma McDonald, Tammy Camilleri, and Flight Lieutenant Brodie Sweeney.
Their visibility serves as a powerful platform for representation, inspiring other women and the next generation to join and excel in aviation.
“For me, the sacrifices you make are worth it by way of visibility. Young girls must see female pilots and aircraft engineers in order to envision themselves in such roles, while young boys must recognise it as a norm. We are walking the talk,” Angela said.
In the next step toward raising awareness and fostering cultural change in the industry, Navigating Aviation, in partnership with Bastion Insights, launched a first-of-its-kind national survey this week to better understand the industry culture and the mental health and wellbeing of workers in the general aviation industry.
The anonymous ‘National General Aviation Culture and Wellbeing Survey’ will be managed by Bastion Insights. Bastion is Australia’s leading mid-sized market and social research consultancy, dedicated to delivering practical insights to guide informed decision-making.
Their specialist Social & Government team combines deep industry knowledge with advanced research methodologies to provide robust, evidence driven strategic recommendations.
The survey will be open to the entire Australian general aviation industry for four weeks, until the 31st of October, and will target both current and former workers across all sectors of the industry.
The survey is being conducted as part of the Women in The Aviation Industry Initiative, which was established in 2019 and is administered by the Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development, Communications and the Arts. The initiative supports a range of activities to enhance visibility and awareness of the sector among women and girls.
In addition, the survey is supported by the General Aviation Advisory Network (GAAN), which advises the Minister for Infrastructure and Transport on matters affecting the General Aviation (GA) sector.
The GAAN Chair, Andrew Andersen, acknowledges that this worthwhile research is a first in the aviation industry and the importance of the findings that it will provide.
“This research will provide valuable data about the mental health and wellbeing of workers in the general aviation sector,” Mr Andersen said.
Findings from the study will be publicly available at the end of 2024 and will be used by various stakeholders to advocate for policy reform and dismantle the stigmas surrounding mental health and diversity in the aviation sector.
Navigating Aviation will develop a range of ‘Leadership, Culture, and Visibility’ programs designed to help business owners, managers, chief pilots, chief engineers, and supervisors in general aviation better understand, manage, support, and retain women in the industry.
In the meantime, Navigating Aviation will continue to raise awareness of the need for greater psychosocial support in the industry, as well as the issues and challenges faced by female pilots, aircraft engineers and aviation support staff.
Please take part in this survey by clicking this link or by contacting Navigating Aviation at [email protected]. Organisations wishing to take part should email Angela directly.
