#Live2Fly Series: Flight Instructor Genesah Duffy

“It totally changed my life,” Genesah Duffy says of her first flight. “The best experience I’ve ever had.”

She was 25 when she took a discovery flight in a Cessna 172 out of St. Pete-Clearwater International Airport, and from there she was hooked. Genesah started out as a parts manager at Propellerhead Aviation, and she spent all her time learning and researching, and working toward her goal of becoming a pilot and eventually a flight instructor. However, she wasn’t certain she’d be good as a flight instructor, but the more she did it, as each student got better at flying, she got better at teaching.

Genesah made the progression to seaplanes because she believes there is so much more to discover in aviation, and part of the fun and adventure of being a pilot is seeing new things and meeting new people. In fact, she never anticipated the community aspect of flying, and that has made being a pilot and flight instructor so much better for her.

She recently became involved with Women in Aviation’s Heart of Florida chapter because she wants to show younger people that working in aviation doesn’t just mean being a pilot. “There are so many other options you can get involved with,” Genesah says, adding that people can get started in flying at any age, by just reaching out to their local general aviation airports to see what positions are open.

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