We interviewed Luciana Baldini and Juliana Secchi, pilots and founders of "Voe Com Elas", a social network oriented initiative that collects the testimonies of women from all arouend the world

"Flying-high women who transcend barriers and preconceptions."

A simple and direct sentence (“Mulheres que voam alto e ultrapassam barreiras e preconceitos!”, In portuguese language), which leaves no space for too many interpretations: that's the description of Voe Com Elas (which basically means “Fly with them”), a social network project available on Instagram and Facebook born from two women pilots based in Brazil.

In a few months Juliana's and Luciana's Instagram account has reached 15.000 followers, and among them there are not only women. The aim is simple: collecting pictures and testimonies of women involved in the aviation industry from all around the world, regardless of thier role or hierarchies.

That's why in Voe Com Elas you can find photos of captain (fixed and rotary wing), pilots of commercial and military aircraft, flight attendants and skydivers: because they simply are all committed on what they love.

We catch up with Luciana Baldini and Juliana Secchi (you can see them in the cover photo), to find out how did the initiative born.

Down in the page you will find a selection of Voe Com Elas pictures.

Juliana and Luciana, let's start with you. Who you are, you do and where you live.

Juliana: "I'm Juliana, I live in Sao Paulo and I'm a dental surgeon, a skydiver and a helicopter student pilot."

Luciana: "I am Luciana Baldini, I also live in Sao Paulo, I'm a helicopter pilot and I serve as a sergeant in the Brazilian Air Force."

You both have flying experience, then.

Juliana: "Well, my experience is just as a student, because I’m still at flying school. I have logged so far 64 hours of flight.."

Luciana: "Yes, I have. I've flown helicopters like Robinson R22, R44 and Bell 206. My favorite is the R44, no doubt."

When you did start flying?

Juliana: "I started the course by helicopter pilot in 2013 and over the past two years I've just never stopped."

Luciana: "I began to fly in 2012, in a new and small school in a airport in São Paulo. The school eventually closed a year late so, when this happened I began to fly with a friend, that learned me to fly in a Bell 206.".

Single or twin engine?

Juliana: "Twin. My favorite helicopter is the Bell 429. It's a dream machine, it has everything you need on a helicopter: it is spacious, comfortable, full of hi-tech equipment, not to mention the performance. And I like the design, too. "

Luciana: "My favorite Helicopter is, no doubt, the AS350 Ecureuil. For me, that's the best helicopter ever, because it is very strong and it's employed in so many operations. It is a helicopter that you can always trust on. It will never leave you in the lurch. "

What kind of flight operations do you prefer?

Juliana: "I basically love everything that have to do with extreme sports, such as skydiver release and support for deep sea. It's always been my dream and my goal as a pilot: I love adrenaline and I'd try some aerobatics in the future. "

Luciana: "I love to fly, in any way. And I love being a helicopter pilot, I could do quite any type of aerial work without distinction. But right now, I'd like to be a pilot-reporter: fly a news helicopter ".

What are the best parts of being a helicopter pilot?

Juliana: "I'm not a pilot yet, but have been in contact with the best features of this job. The thing that fascinates me the most is the view: the view from the helicopter, no matter where you're flying, it just takes your breath away. Even flying on San Paolo, a concrete jungle where is based the largest helicopters fleet in the world, is an experience that os worth living in a lifetime."

Luciana: "For me, the most fascinating is particularly understanding how a helicopter works: not many know how much technology and study what is hidden behind the operation of these amazing machines."

The aviation industry is often considered a male dominated world, isn't it?

Juliana: "Our struggle is for making this change. The aviation industry is a predominantly male world and leaves few opportunities for women. We currently still have a mission to prove that we are able to take the responsibility of piloting an aircraft. Over time we will conquer space and we'll prove to everyone that we can be efficient professionally and above all, feminine and delicate as women have always been, bringing more beauty to the cockpits.”

Luciana: "There is still a kind of chauvinism in the way the industry deals with women. I think that it will change but it´s gonna take a while, because this kind of chauvinism is radicated even in Brazil and in all over the world, but if you take careers in which the most of professionals are men, this issue is stronger and more hard to be fought.

What do you think of social media? Voe Com Elas is an initiative that has become known all over the world.

Juliana: "I have no doubt that social media will only tend to add up. That's because they allows us to disclose how things are going in the aviation world. When we started with our Instagram account, we both had a sense of how women are taking their aviation profession forward worldwide, and we knew it very well. I have no doubt that social networking is helping us to show some the face of the women who are going over prejudice and still working hard for the aviation industry”.

Luciana: "Aviation is a very closed world and the majority of ordinary people do not know anything about what lies beaneath the surface. Social media can explain everything with a simple picture, so they're very useful".

How did your initiative Voe Com Elas born?

Juliana: "It all started with a WhatsApp group made of female captain called"Aviators". The goal of the group was sharing photos, working experiences and encouraging other women to take the same road. I did not like the name “Aviators”, though. And then I had the idea of “Voe Com Elas" ("Fly with us", referring to a female audience, ed), a kind of invitation for all the women to join the group. I had no idea how many women in the world were passionate about flying: now I understood".

Luciana: "Voe com Elas was born from the desire of giving hope to women around the world. Our idea was that there were so many women that make the flight an aspiration, a job, a career or a passion. We received hundreds of messages from around the world and many women have told us that he started flying just after joining the group. We are against any barrier against women and we just want the same opportunities: the initiative is for us a great satisfaction."

Have you had any contact from Europe?

Juliana: "Yes, we have contacts with pilots from around the world, with wonderful stories. We are proud to show our followers. Women who inspire us and make us believe n our dreams.every day more".

Luciana: "Unfortunately I have not met a pilot European in person yet. But I hope to be able soon to fly to another continent, perhaps even in Italy, a country I have visited and I love. "