A Life in Flight: Mary Build Visits Our Modern Rosies
We had the pleasure of welcoming Mary Build from the Katahdin Ninety-Nines to Habitat for Aviation for a special Lunch & Learn, accompanied by her friend Ed Bergeron. Mary shared stories from a remarkable aviation life that began only after she left a secure career in her mid-forties to go find the person she was meant to become.
What followed was extraordinary: she learned to fly, built a career in seaplanes, became a flight instructor, ran Naples Seaplane Service for two decades, and went on to become one of only a small handful of women serving as an FAA Designated Pilot Examiner in New England. Women remain significantly underrepresented among DPEs, reflecting the broader aviation industry, where women make up only a small fraction of certificated pilots. While the FAA reported more than 1,100 active DPEs in recent years, a precise public count of women serving in that role is not readily available, which itself points to a visibility gap.
Mary spoke with honesty about challenge, reinvention, and the joy of finding work that truly fits your spirit. She shared pieces of her story—from flying to Alaska, racing airplanes, surviving hardship, and later becoming an author and inspirational speaker.
Her message was clear: it is never too late to begin, and a meaningful life is built by saying yes to what calls you. For our WOMEN BUILD PLANES team, visits like this matter deeply. Mary is one of the women who came before us, and her presence helped widen the runway for those coming next. We are grateful to the Ninety-Nines for continuing to surround our builders with women whose lives say, in so many ways, you can do this too.
