Women in aviation: A conversation with Brigadier-General Lise Bourgon

IC: As you know, the Canada Aviation and Space Museum is adding a Sikorsky CH-124B Sea King to its collection. Tell me what this helicopter means to you.

LB: It also gave me the opportunity to travel the world; you went where the ship went. One day you were in the Mediterranean, the week after you were in the Persian Gulf. My first year in the squadron as an operational pilot, I sailed for nine out of 12 months. I think in that nine months, I saw 17 different countries and 24 different ports. We went everywhere; we travelled the world and we had our own helicopter landing pad all over the place. That was exciting.

IC: You’re an extremely accomplished and well-respected female in the RCAF. What have been your biggest challenges in getting to where you are today?

LB: I always go back to work-life balance, and trying not to sacrifice the family as you’re doing your job. It’s a very thin line of trying to do the best you can — the best mother, the best spouse — but also being the best officer in the RCAF and the best pilot. But nobody can be the best at everything, so I think it’s about compromise and accepting that you’re not the best at everything, and being happy in the balance that you can achieve.

I’ve been super lucky that my husband is a great man. They say, “Behind every great man is a great woman,” well, I have to say that behind every woman is probably an even greater man. My husband, Martin, supported me while I had to deploy, and he always allowed me to be promoted and pursue opportunities. It’s truly a team effort; I would not be where I am if I didn’t have the great husband that I have.

I don’t think our society has changed as much as it needs to for that balance; it’s kind of expected for women to stay behind and support the man, but the reversal where a man sacrifices a bit of his career to support his wife and family — sometimes my husband would get looks and questions. But what’s the difference? They are as much his kids and they are my kids, but not everyone has that attitude.

We’ve moved the kids (Jeremy, 19 and Megan, 17) all over the place, but I think they’re so well adjusted and mature. I guess the future will tell — either they’ll never move because we’ve changed their roots so many times, or they’ll always be looking for change.

IC: What else needs to happen within the RCAF in order for gender integration to see continued success?

LB: I don’t see gender integration as a number, but as a state where the opportunities are the same between men and women. Honestly, I think we’re there; in the RCAF it doesn’t matter if you’re a woman or a man — you are given the same opportunities for success, for courses, for deployment. Now, it’s just trying to convince society to join the military. We’re still fighting societal and cultural beliefs — women don’t see themselves joining the military because they don’t think they can do it. Until we can change that societal belief — so women look at the military as a place where they belong — that’s going to be the key.

I imagine a little girl holding hands with her mom at the air show, looking at the Snowbirds. And she’s saying, “Hey mommy, when I grow up, I want to be a pilot.” Her mom says, “Yes honey, that’s a great job for you — you’re going to be great.” If we can convince the mothers to encourage their daughters — and their sons — to join the military, that would be great. Particularly young ladies ages eight to 12 – if we can give them the knowledge and excitement of what we do, we can give them the spark to succeed. Any girl can be a great pilot if that’s truly what they want.

IC: Women are often intimidated by male-dominated fields such as aviation. What would be your advice to a young woman who is considering a career as a pilot?

LB: We have to stop second-guessing ourselves; women can do anything they want. The sky is not the limit — there are no barriers. The barriers that we perceive are in our own head. I think women are the worst at saying to themselves, “No, I can’t do that — I’m not good enough.” Men and young boys will try everything; they don’t mind failing as much as women. Women tend to see failure as a big thing, where men see that they tried and failed and they’ll try something else. Women need to be told again and again, “Yes, you CAN do it — give it a try! If you like it great, if not, you didn’t lose anything — it’s called experience.”

I think it’s about discovering who you are — your strengths and weaknesses, and attempting stuff that is a little bit scary. Scary is OK! I always tell my daughter; butterflies in your stomach are normal, and they’re going to go away. You have to push once in a while to get outside of your comfort zone. I think it’s about discovering, it’s about exploration, it’s about having fun — living on the edge a little bit, and choosing to never stop learning.