Emma Hughes with the WMU College of Aviation "Rubber Ducky" - its Piper Super Cub on Amphibious Floats
Hughes with her Mother, Brother and two nieces
Many women have stood on the shoulders of pioneering aviators Jackie Cochran, Bessie Coleman and Amelia Earhart over the years, and Emma Hughes is a member of the latest generation.
But in the Western Michigan University senior's case, she's taking a step that was beyond what was possible for those glass-ceiling smashers. Not only is Hughes majoring in aviation flight science, she's doing double duty and also seeking a degree in aviation maintenance technology.
The likes of Cochran and Coleman in the first few decades of the 20th century probably had a rudimentary awareness of what makes a prop spin. However, they would never have been in the same league as Hughes and her female colleagues in the College of Aviation when it comes to the scientific and technical aspects of flight, even comparatively speaking. Why? Primarily because, in American culture, then is then and now is now.
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Hughes, who grew up in Kiel, Wis., about an hour north of Milwaukee, definitely flies in the shadows of Earhart and the rest these days. She represents Western and its aviation program in the Air Race Classic, the annual 2,400-mile transcontinental event for female pilots who range in age from 17 to 90 and come from the ranks of students, teachers, doctors, airline pilots and business owners. Established in 1929 and attracting Cochran, Coleman and their peers, it was once known as the Powder Puff Derby.
Hughes and her Air Race Classic teammates Lauren Quandt and Regine Acosta
In her first Air Race Classic competition, Hughes served as the flight's navigator. For the last two races, she's been Western's pilot.
"I am currently working on turning the race team into an RSO (registered student organization) here at Western," she says. "I became involved in the Air Race team through hearing about it while working dispatch for the College of Aviation. I thought it sounded like not only an amazing opportunity, but also a great way to meet amazing people and continue networking throughout the industry."
Hughes practicing her future profession at an early age
So how did Emma Hughes become a devotee of all things flying. Growing up in Wisconsin, she and her family took in -- almost annually -- the Experimental Aviation Association (EAA) AirVenture, billed as the world's greatest celebration of flying as both recreation and a career. Each year, the week-long event attracts hundreds of thousands of people and planes to Oshkosh, which is close to Hughes' hometown of Kiel.
"We also attended numerous fly-ins at surrounding small airports," she remembers. While all of this started leaning Hughes toward a possible career, sealing the deal was the EAA's Young Eagles program, where licensed pilots volunteer their time and aircraft to take young folks on flights.
"I believe the Young Eagles flight I had in my eighth-grade year in the skies over northern Wisconsin was when I really became enthralled with flying," she says. "I was not involved in aviation as anything but an occasional spectator before coming to Western. I didn't have any other ideas for a career. I just kind of jumped into the whole aviation field and haven't regretted it since."
Hughes and her Father enjoying the beauty of the Boundary Waters
Hughes and her family were not the only clans to mark the AirVenture on their calendars each year. So does the WMU College of Aviation. It's always on the itinerary of Tom Thinnes, the college's director of recruitment and outreach, who brings with him a cadre of student ambassadors. After all, peer recruitment is as effective as peer pressure is powerful.
"I began my hunt for an aviation college in the summer of my junior year in high school," Hughes says. "I went from college booth to college booth at the Oshkosh gathering. Western's program stood out as the best, partially because I could take classes in both the maintenance and flight disciplines at the same time. The fact that Western was closest to family and home didn't hurt either."
Taking in the Colorado sites while working on her instrument flight instructor certification
Hughes served as a dispatcher -- where she heard about the old Powder Puff Derby -- at the college for about 18 month and is now a certified flight instructor. "Being a dispatcher also provided a significant amount of networking for me," she says. "My favorite part about being an instructor is seeing how excited a student becomes when they learn or accomplish something new."
Hughes has felt that same level of excitement, especially in the course on reciprocating engine systems taught by faculty specialist Nate Lisak. "Nate ensures that we are not only learning the required material," she says, "but also enjoying learning that material. The class showed me that engine work is something I am interested in. The hands-on experience in the lab emphasized that."
Other favorites are "every single flight-lab course I've taken," she says. "Being able to fly on almost a daily basis and to be learning new things that will make the sky my new home is hard to classify as a class."
Hanging out with WMU Alumni at the World
Giving back to aviation has involved "going back" for Hughes. "I volunteered as a Western representative at the EAA in Oshkosh last year," she says. "It was a really cool opportunity to return to where I not only began my love of aviation, but also to where I began the process of attending Western. For me, Western seems to feel like what a small college does. This is probably because of being a dual major. Whenever I am on the Battle Creek campus, I am sure to see a familiar and friendly face."
Hughes, in reality, is not all that different from Cochran, Coleman and Earhart. They didn't know their destinies. They just followed their hearts. "My goals after graduation," she says, "is to go where the path takes me. I would love to land at a regional (airport) and do maintenance work in a small, mom-and-pop general aviation shop on the side.
"But, one day in the far future," she says, "I would love to end up in Alaska as a bush pilot." Somewhere, the three famed aviators are smiling.