Despite the Hollywood portrayal of combat aviation as a glamorous and glitzy environment, military aviators operate in highly perilous conditions, facing challenges that many civilian pilots wouldn’t dare encounter. Nevertheless, the inherent risks do not deter numerous young men and women who aspire to become military aviators, with some even seeking the job for the allure of potential danger.
Cindy Boyd
For Cindy Boyd G’04, the journey toward becoming a military aviator was motivated by a desire to be at the forefront of engineering. She originally showed little to no interest in the military while growing up in Northeast Pennsylvania.
As a self-described scrapper and daughter of a U.S. Marine Corps veteran, Boyd initially did not view the military as a viable option until a cousin introduced her to the U.S. Military Academy at West Point. However, early on, people began suggesting she pursue an alternative path.
“Even though I was a straight-A student coming out of high school, a member of the National Honor Society, and all of that stuff, I was told it was highly unlikely that I was going to get into West Point,” Boyd says. Despite having a stellar academic record, she was advised to have a backup plan for West Point simply because she was a woman.
The prestigious military academy was still in the process of adjusting to the reality of being a co-educational institution. In 1980 the first group of women graduated from West Point and, like other military academies throughout the ’80s and ’90s, change to accommodate women was begrudgingly slow.
“I was accepted into the class of ’92, and the first year was a struggle because I had a lot of making up to do. The high school I came from didn’t have a strong STEM program, and I had to catch up to my peers,” says Boyd. “The beautiful thing about West Point is once they invest in you, they have the leaders and the instructional staff there to help you overcome those setbacks.”
Boyd attributes her success to her parents, who instilled in her the drive and determination that played a significant role in overcoming challenges. Out of approximately 1,500 first-year cadets, or “plebes,” Boyd remembers around 150 being women, a number that dwindled to approximately 95 by the time she graduated in 1992 with a degree in engineering.
Upon graduation, Boyd was commissioned into the U.S. Army as a second lieutenant. Having secured one of 16 highly sought-after aviation branch assignments, she underwent rigorous flight training to become a UH-60 Black Hawk pilot. At that time, being a woman and a military aviator was a significant accomplishment. However, Boyd’s determination and grit propelled her to continually seek out the next big challenge, and years later she would become one of the very few women in the military at the time to command a company.
Cindy Boyd G’04 flying a U.S. Army UH-60 Black Hawk
“In the early ’90s, there weren’t many women in officer roles, even fewer who were in charge, so you get a lot of visibility. You’re going to have your naysayers,” says Boyd, who served as the commanding officer of a combat aviation unit at Fort Bragg, now known as Fort Liberty, in North Carolina. “I had a lot of people who did not invest in my success, but I had to find a way to overcome it.”
Boyd reminisces about the immense pride she felt in commanding troops, and while leading troops is a pinnacle of achievement for most military leaders, Boyd says she had other goals that were out of reach in the Army. She began shaping what she wanted her post-service life to look like.
“When I was in the military, I really wanted to become a maintenance test pilot, but as a commissioned officer that wasn’t really endorsed,” says Boyd. “It was one of those things where, just like back in the ’80s when people told me I would never get into West Point— when people say that, that’s when I go and do it.”
Civilian life did not curb Boyd’s trailblazing determination. A position with Carrier Corporation brought her to Central New York after leaving the Army. Soon after she leveraged her military and engineering networks in the region; she became one of the first women hired by Sikorsky Aircraft Corporation as a test pilot.
“Back in the day, there was a woman who helped Igor Sikorsky; she’s really considered to be their first woman test pilot. But it had been 80 years since they had another one, and so they hired me,” says Boyd. “I had the engineering degree, the military background and the flying qualifications. I think they brought me in with a little bit of risk, but they figured they could train me, and I loved it.”
As a test pilot for Sikorsky, which produced the UH-60 helicopter she flew in the Army, Boyd developed an interest in the business aspect of engineering. Although she could have settled for her day-to-day work as a test pilot, her curiosity drove her to apply to the Martin J. Whitman School of Management, where she pursued a master’s degree in business administration.
Cindy Boyd G’04 with her husband, daughter and family dog enjoying the Adirondacks.
“Syracuse was perfect because of the quality of the instruction, the professors, and of course because it was in my backyard. Working with the program managers at Sikorsky, I saw the value in making good, solid business decisions, and I wanted to understand that world a lot better because I didn’t see myself flying for the next 30 to 40 years,” says Boyd.
After completing the MBA program at Whitman, Boyd initially took a position with nearby Lockheed Martin as a contract manager, later transitioning into program management. Today, she continues to work today as a senior manager in program management, focusing on the company’s development of U.S. Navy airborne radar programs.
Boyd resides with her husband and daughter on a plot of farmland outside of Syracuse. She acknowledges the barriers placed before her simply for being a woman working in environments where men had traditionally barred women from entry, but still encourages young women to seek out mentors, both women and men, who will provide honest feedback.
“Looking back at it now, having been through a lot more leadership experience, I think I would have reached out and networked more with not only my peers but with my senior leadership to get their mentorship,” says Boyd. “That was a real gap in my life experience back then, and I value it now more than ever.”
