MACON, Ga. — With her bouncy, blonde curls, white pantsuit and black pumps, Heather Lowe is making history with her story on the runway.
"This is my dream job," she says with a pearly-white smile.
As the first female manager at the Middle Georgia Regional Airport, Lowe is shattering the glass ceiling in a male dominated field.
She landed the job last January, as the interim manager.
Today, she's continuing to hang on to a family tradition of flyers.
Not only was Lowe's father a lieutenant colonel in the United States Air Force, but his dad also served in World War II; she said he flew the B-24 Liberator.
Lowe also said that her mom was a teacher, and her father also served in the USAF as a crew chief for the B-52 Stratofortress.
When Lowe's father retired, she said, they lived near Robins Air Force Base.
She said she spent most of her childhood growing up in Houston County; today, she still lives in South Perry near the fairgrounds.
Growing up, Lowe said her favorite hobby was horseback riding.
She said some of the training she learned during her time as an equestrian helped her with the windy climate she's surrounded by at the airport today.
"I grew up thinking I wanted to be a marine biologist," Lowe said, with a chuckle. "Yet, here I am!"
If you've lived in Central Georgia long enough, you may have heard of Lowe Aviation which was a family business that ran out of the airport for decades.
Heather said she's not related to them, and calls it "a coincidence" that she manages the airport they used to operate from.
But, maybe, it was meant to be.
Today, she's reaching heights unseen at the MGRA as the first female manager; carrying the Lowe legacy, so it hangs high.
Humbled by her-story, she said none of it would be possible without the support she's had from family, friends, mentors and colleagues along the way.
"At the same time, I cannot do it without my airport operations team, I cannot do it without my airport maintence team, I absolutely can't do it without my airport and admin team," Lowe said.
"I mean, it's impossible," she added.
But she's making it possible because the journey for her to take flight on the right path was never up in the air for her after she was "bit by the aviation bug."
Her favorite part of the job, she said, is getting out of her office to watch the planes land up close.
It's not something you can just wing, though, she explained.
Her main piece of advice: "Set your goals, work really hard to accomplish them, and get a good mentor to help you along your journey."