During the first half of the two-part Jun. 10 webinar, HAI honored the outstanding work of the 2021 Salute to Excellence in Communications recipient Jeanette Eaton, VP of worldwide strategy and business development at Sikorsky, a Lockheed Martin Company. Throughout her career, Jeanette has been an effective ambassador for the helicopter industry. In addition to her high-profile corporate work, Jeanette volunteers with aviation organizations, schools, and youth organizations to expose children and young adults to concepts in STEM and aviation.

In the second half of the webinar, our panelists discussed how they kickstarted their careers in aviation, how to increase diversity in the industry, and how student pilots can obtain funds to pay for their pilot ratings through scholarship programs and military training. The panelists also stressed the importance of networking and believing in yourself.