Pilot leads way for women aviation

Atlas Air's Captain Taylor Montgomery grew up in Baton Rouge, La., and into a family with deep aviation roots. Her grandfather, a retired Air Force flight instructor would take her into the skies for flying lessons. Her father, a retired Navy air traffic controller, would be communicating with the duo from the ground. Flying was exhilarating, she said, and knew from lesson No. 1 what she wanted to do after high school. She enrolled at Louisiana Tech University in pursuit of a dual degree in Professional Aviation/Spanish. She graduated at 20. Instead of joining the Air Force to fly, she went the civilian route and moved to Baton Rouge to become a flight instructor. During those three years, she met her now good friend/mentee, Morgan “Allie” Balding, who had signed up for flight lessons. After the lessons, Taylor continued to mentor Allie. Later, Taylor worked for regional carriers flying cargo before setting her sights on Atlas Air. In February 2016, Taylor was hired as First Officer for Atlas. She upgraded to Captain in 2019 at age 29. Taylor knew Allie would appreciate working at Atlas. Allie joined Atlas in January as a First Officer. It was meaningful to be flying with Taylor again. Taylor recently participated in Atlas’ Women of Aviation Power Panel at CVG with multiple women pilots and students. “It was so nice to hear other women’s stories and journeys,” said Taylor. “While each woman’s end goal was different, we all ended up where we wanted to be. I think we successfully showed the students that there are many different career paths within aviation.” (Atlas Air 10/18/22) Captain Taylor Montgomery Leads the Way for Women in Aviation - Atlas Air Worldwide