By Rachel Haynie
 

Patty Gillies, in the cockpit, flies over Columbia in the airplane she built herself. Photo by James E. Clark Pilot Patty Gillies seldom looks back at her aeronautic accomplishments. Working nearly two decades with USC’s Health and Safety division, learning to fly, building an airplane, and now serving as president of Palmetto Sport Aviation has kept her focused on the immediate.

But then Columbia’s chapter of Zonta International asked her to speak in honor of Amelia Earhart’s solo flight over the Pacific Ocean. The international women’s service organization honors Earhart each January because she was a charter Zontian and because of her pioneering achievements,

A Zonta chapter in Bakersfield, CA, began a scholarship in the trailblazer’s name in 1938, soon after learning of her disappearance. Other chapters have since awarded $5.7 million in scholarships in 57 countries to women desiring to continue their studies in aeronautics, science, or engineering.

 Gillies, preparing her powerpoint presentation for that annual Zonta meeting, took a look at the chronology of her own accomplishments. When she became licensed as a private pilot in 1993, she was flying a Cessna 150. She became a partner in a Cessna 140 and flew it during the five years she was building an experimental RV6 airplane.

 Among the commonalities Gillies shares with the pioneering Earhart is a love of adventure and an appreciation for the freedom she senses when she is flying. “I don’t think about all the work that went into the airplane when I am seeing the world in 3–D from the air,” said the New York native.

Gillies showed Columbia Zonta club members images of the early planes she flew and described what it takes to become licensed to fly. A written test, ground school, mastery of map reading are required as well as 40 hours of flying with an instructor. Her field, chemistry, involves lots of math, so that was no problem, but she said her natural directional ability gave her challenges at first.

The University of South Florida graduate explained that, unlike automobiles, airplanes appreciate in value over the years. She has flown airplanes manufactured as early as 1947.

She attributes planes holding their value to proper maintenance and meticulously–kept logs which date repairs and alterations to a plane and who made them.

During the five years she worked on building her plane, pretty much from scratch, she participated in USC’s flexible work schedule, going in at 7:30 am, then scrambling over to Owens Field right after work. “I would usually work on the plane until 8 pm at night and all weekend.”

When the plane finally was complete and had been inspected, tested, and checked out by people she trusted, she was still nervous. “I was going to fly off in this plane I had built.” She waited for a time when the airport would be sparsely populated. “For me this was going to be a very private, very personal thing.”

When she taxied out on the runway and pushed the throttle and the plane lifted off, she started breathing again. Since then she has enjoyed flying to cities where she has family or a particular reason to go. “My commitment to the environment would make it hard for me just to go up and burn holes in the sky.”

Gillies is currently working on upgrading to a plane with room enough for at least a couple of her sisters to be passengers. Getting another plane will require her to give up the one she put her heart and soul into for five years. “I think when the time comes, I’ll be able to let go. It’s the only way I can achieve my next goal.”

Modeling for other females that they, too, can follow Amelia Earhart’s example comes naturally for Gillies. As president of Columbia’s flying club, Palmetto Sport Aviation, she advocates for safe flying and is involved with Young Eagles, a volunteer organization that introduces youngsters to the possibilities of flight.

She is also interested in cooking, saltwater reef farming, sewing, boat restoring, exercising, and gardening.