Meet Peggy Loeffler of Berkshire Aviation

Today we’d like to introduce you to Peggy Loeffler.

Peggy, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
I am the daughter of a WWII Army Air Corps B-29 pilot. After the war, when I was very young, my father purchased a small plane, and that was my introduction to a lifetime of aviation adventures. During most of our flights together, my dad would tug on my seat belt, and we would begin a series of lazy maneuvers in the sky. To my delight, not matched by my 10-year-old girlfriends, we did loops, rolls, and spins.

As I grew older, I continued to spend many hours aloft with my dad. In high school, I enrolled in an aerodynamics class during my senior year, with 16 boys. After the first class, the instructor called me to his desk and attempted to discourage me. He informed me that I was to expect no special treatment because I was the only girl, and if I took the class because I thought it would be easy, I would be very disappointed. I finished the course with an A+ and also set the school record for the duration of flight for my hand-crafted balsa-wood glider.

I didn’t pursue a pilot’s license though, until many years after that high school class. In 1996, with two young children and limited funds, I stepped through the door of the flight school at Great Barrington Airport in western Massachusetts and began training for a private pilot license. With my license in hand and scholarship assistance from the Ninety-Nines International Organization of Women Pilots (99s), I added an instrument, commercial and instructor ratings. In 2005 I began working at Great Barrington Airport. As the only female instructor at the small but active airport, I certainly stand out! I realize, though, that I serve as a role model to the women, young and old, who approach me for training.

As a female pilot and member of the 99s, I have been asked to participate in panel discussions and aviation workshops before groups as large as 160 girl scouts at the New England Air Museum, and co-founded a special event at the museum that ran annually for ten years, celebrating women in aviation, past and present, attracting hundreds of people each year. I am presently co-coordinator of an aviation class at a Massachusetts high school. The teacher encourages girls to participate in his classes (how times have changed since my school days!).

At Great Barrington Airport, we teach girls and boys and men and women of all ages to fly. All one needs is a passion for aviation and a determination to complete one of the most rewarding and fun achievements of their life!

Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
Unfortunately, women still comprise only about six percent of the pilot population. Walking into a flight school filled with male students and instructors can be intimidating for any woman, and some prejudice remains. But most pilots are happy to share their passion for aviation, especially to a young girl or boy who shows an interest.

Berkshire Aviation – what should we know? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
Great Barrington Airport is rich in history. Walt and Louise Koladza owned and operated the airport since the 1940s, with its beginning in the 1920s as a grass strip. Louise passed away in the 1970s, and Walt ran the airport until his death in in 2004. Although many changes have been made to update the airport, people often comment on the friendly and charming atmosphere that is reminiscent of an aerodrome in the old barnstorming days of flying. On a busy weekend day, turboprop and twin-engine planes fly in the skies over the field along with open cockpit planes from the 1940s. The airport staff welcomes neighbors and visitors to enjoy a picnic on the grass and watch planes, and often hosts events open to the public that highlight the many fun aspects of flight.

Pricing:

• For as little as $100, three people can enjoy a half hour flight and see the Berkshire Mountains from the air.

Contact Info:

• Address: 70 Egremont Plain Road
  Great Barrington, MA 01230
• Website: www.greatbarringtonairport.com
• Phone: 413-528-1010
• Email: info@greatbarringtonairport.com
• Facebook: Great Barrington Airport – GBR

Image Credit:
Rolfe Tessem

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