First Female Air Traffic Supervisor in the Caquetá
Women in the Colombian Aerospace Force have proven that there are no limits to achieving excellence in military aviation. Hilary Rodríguez Ortega, Technician of the Air Combat Command No. 6, CACOM 6, in Tres Esquinas, Caquetá, has marked a milestone by becoming the first woman to hold the position of Air Traffic Supervisor in this Air Military Unit.
At the age of 15, Hilary began her incorporation process thanks to feeling the call to serve the country through this Institution: “If I could talk to myself those days, I would tell me not to stop dreaming. With discipline and perseverance, everything can be done,” says the 22-year-old Santa Marta girl, remembering the stage of constant study and physical training she lived through, before being accepted into the Capitan Andrés M. Díaz Non-Commissioned Officer School, ESUFA.
At the end of her training at the School, Hilary graduated with the Specialty of Aeronautical Communications, so she began to work in the Air Combat Command No. 1, CACOM 1, its first Air Military Unit and thanks to continuous instruction in meteorology and English, participated in strategic military operations, such as personnel rescue, air shows, international exercises, parachuting missions, evacuations and aeromedical transfers.
After three years in CACOM 1, Hilary was transferred to CACOM 6 in 2024. With just seven months in the Unit, she gained five control autonomies, an achievement that usually takes up to a year and a half. Her outstanding performance led her to assume the position of Air Traffic Supervisor, thus contributing to the safety, efficiency and fluidity of air traffic in the region.
The Fourth Technician Hilary Rodríguez, is the first woman to hold this position at CACOM 6, her story opens the way for more women to be appointed in positions that have traditionally been held by men: "Every time I made a progress, I feel that I open doors for the women behind me, together we continue to build a future full of equality, opportunities and success," said Hilary.
#LaFuerzaQueInspira
Source: Office of Public Communications CACOM 6
