First Officer Dean Sela

First Officer Dean Sela

Boeing 787

"I hope my story sends a message to anyone considering becoming a pilot…that whoever you are as a person is not going to limit you in this industry."

Dean is a champion for diversity in the aviation industry. He is pictured here with reporter Sumona Roy at the Canadian Aviation Pride "Northern Escape" event in June 2016.

It's funny what you know and what you don't know when you're 16 years old.

I was already certain that I wanted to be an airline pilot – I got my flying license before my driver's license. I also knew that I was gay. But I didn't yet know how to put these two things together.

I'd been around airplanes my whole life – as a kid I used to hang out on the flight deck travelling back and forth between Israel (where I was born) and Canada (where I grew up). I developed my love of air travel on those trips.

My love of aviation even extended into my part time job growing up – I was a dispatcher for a small flight school outside of Toronto. It was not uncommon for me to hear stereotypical negative comments about gender and sexual orientation both at work and in my aviation program at school.

Like many young people, I hid who I was – my coworkers and schoolmates didn’t know I was gay. And I definitely wasn’t ready to out myself as I hadn’t yet accepted myself.

For a while, I couldn't reconcile these things: On one hand, I felt I belonged in the skies. On the other hand, I didn't feel that I could belong at all.

Thankfully, as I was growing up, so was aviation culture. At the age of 29, 13 years after I first enrolled in flight school, I finally became an Air Canada pilot. By then, I was open and out. And by then, that was just fine.

I do still get plenty of questions from my colleagues about my sexual orientation and about being a gay pilot, but almost always, these inquiries reflect more curiosity than judgment.

And honestly, I'm happy to talk about my experiences. It's a long, tough path for anyone who wants to become a commercial pilot. You have to love it in order to stick with it. In college, every flight was graded, and if you got more than a couple of "unsatisfactory" assessments, it probably meant you were going to get kicked out of the program. Flight training is stressful enough. Nobody who wants to fly should also have to grapple with whether they'll be accepted for who they are.

Early in my career, I was lucky enough to find a friend and mentor – an openly gay pilot who showed me that it was possible to have this amazing career, and still be you. I hope my story sends a message to anyone considering becoming a pilot – especially those in the LGBTQ community or those who might be questioning their sexuality – that whoever you are as a person is not going to limit you in this industry.

Recently, I was lucky enough to get the relief position on the long-range Boeing 787 Dreamliner. In just the first few weeks on the job, I traveled to Munich, Seoul, Copenhagen and Tokyo. How many people can say they have been to all those places in the span of less than a month? I feel so fortunate to have been able to follow my own dreams, and I will always do what I can to ensure that the aviation industry continues to embrace diversity and to welcome anyone who is passionate about flying.

"In just the first few weeks on the job, I traveled to Munich, Seoul, Copenhagen and Tokyo. How many people can say they have been to all those places in the span of less than a month?"