Alaskan Women in Aviation: Hattie Schmidtkunz  

By Regan Tunstall  

Growing up in Sutton, Alaska, Hattie’s love for flying started when she was paragliding in her early 20s. One day when she was at Lake Lucille, she spotted a floatplane taking off and instantly knew she wanted to become a pilot. Hattie was working for the DOT most summers while pursuing her training in the winter to afford her flight lessons. In 2018, she was thrilled to finally receive her private pilot license. Battling self doubt has always been a challenge throughout her journey, but she continues to overcome that obstacle and make big strides everyday. She recognizes all the women aviators before her who worked endlessly to create more opportunities for women today. “I definitely appreciate all the women who’ve come before me and helped pave the way” Hattie said. Presently, she works as a certificated flight instructor (CFI) and office manager at Land and Sea Aviation. Her biggest joy is sharing love for aviation with others and having those experiences together.