THIS IS A LIVE BLOG. LAST UPDATE: 2pm
In a bold step for inclusion, the control tower at Red River Regional Airport this week launched “DEI Fridays,” a program in which controller Glenn Hagstrom, 52, generously steps aside for one shift so a woman can see what it’s like to do his job.
“It’s important that women get exposure to high-pressure environments,” said Hagstrom, who designed the program on a Post-it note. “Air traffic control is basically chess, but with planes, and the planes are real. I wanted to give someone a taste of that.”
The someone was Renata Okonkwo-Larsen, 49, who has been a certified air traffic controller for 23 years, holds the tower’s record for most consecutive incident-free shifts, and was, until Friday, Hagstrom’s supervisor. She was told about the program in an all-staff email titled “Lady Day (DEI).”
Hagstrom documented the day in a running log, excerpted below:
7:00 a.m. Renata arrives. I show her where the headset goes. She is already wearing it.
7:40 a.m. First departure goes out clean. Good beginner’s luck.
9:15 a.m. Eleven arrivals sequenced at once. I go to get her a water in case she is overwhelmed. When I come back, all eleven have landed.
11:30 a.m. A pilot thanks her on frequency “for the smoothest approach all year.” I explain that pilots are just being polite.
2:00pm. Hmm, she pressed a few buttons in a panic attack. Not sure what’s happening…
Story to be updated after the shift ends.
