Tien Mullen’s Story

Tien Mullen grew up in one of the poorest and most dangerous neighborhoods in Saigon – Vietnam. So dangerous that it got a reputation “you can come in but good luck with getting out without losing an arm or a leg”. Not many people would dare to come in, especially at night fall. Every day, Tien would see a wife being beaten up by her husband. Someone would chase another with a knife as a way to resolve conflicts. About the width of a car away, the house across the alley from Tien’s house was a brothel. Many characters frequently visited the place. Girls as young as thirteen years old would get into the business to support their families. Tien’s mother worked many jobs to raise four young kids and supported Tien’s father who was held in one of the re-educational camps, post-Vietnam War. Money was tight, and food was limited. Growing up in that environment, Tien found joy in spending hours looking up at the sky. She was amazed at the endless possibilities that the sky of could entertain her throughout the day. There was always something for her to ponder, to imagine, to dream. In the daytime, she could see the sun, clouds, birds, rain, airplanes, sometimes even the moon and the stars... At night, she could see the stars, the bright moon, especially during those nights when electricity was shut off for conservation. 



Tien did not know when she started loving the sky and airplanes. She just remembered that every six months, her mother would travel by ground transportations from Saigon to a Northern rural area [close to Southern China border] to visit and provide dry foods and necessities to her father. The actual visit time was only thirty minutes, but each trip would take her mother a couple of weeks due to transportation changes. During that time, Tien and her siblings would be in the care of relatives and neighbors. As she missed her mother those nights while her mother was away, Tien wished that her mother could fly, so that she could see her husband and quickly head home for the kids. After thirteen years growing up without a father, Tien and her siblings were allowed to come and visit her father for the first time as he was moved to another camp in the South, closer to home. That eighty-mile-trip was a long one way six hours trip. The mother and her four kids had to change between cycle rickshaw (Xích lô) to “xe lam” to a “hayride” truck. The trip further validated Tien’s wish to fly on an airplane.



Tien’s wish of on boarding an airplane came true when the family left Vietnam to come to America under the status of “political refugees” in 1993. 

That first flight experience on a Boeing 747 airplane taught Tien a few things: 

  1. It is a great experience to see what it is like from above: above the ground, in the clouds, above the clouds, and the complete stillness in the darkness where you are an object hanging in the middle of space with no string attached. You are a part of a magic show!

  2. Motion sickness is no joke. Flying is not glamorous. It takes guts!

  3. Indeed! Airplanes can get you to your destination a lot quicker than ground and water transportations.

Motion sickness didn’t stop Tien from experiencing that magical time in the air. Since that first flight, Tien has traveled by air to many places around the world and is now working for The Boeing Company - one of the largest aerospace companies in the world, where she is an Engineering manager supporting commercial airplane production, certification, and delivery. Her career path has not been an easy one, but it led her to the company that made her dream of flying come true. 

Tien’s never thought of becoming a pilot herself; however, she devotes her free time to mentor and support future engineers and scientists who have passion for aviation and space. Tien knows that somewhere on the ground, on this earth, there is a girl, a boy, at any moment in time, is looking up at the sky, wishing to fly on an airplane to a better world. With that thought, Tien commits to support organizations, such as the Asian Women in Aerospace & Aviation (AWA2) and the Society of Asian Scientists and Engineers (SASE), as well as teaching STEM after school for elementary and middle school students. Tien hopes that she can help these students realize their love and dream for a career in space and aviation a lot faster and in an efficient way. 

Hang Minh's Story

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Hang Minh never thought she would be pursuing aviation for a career. Her first flight ever was at the age of 6 when she flew to America with her family. That flight sparked her passion for travel and experiencing different cultures. It wasn’t until later in life she decided to pursue aviation. She grew up drawing and painting whenever she could. She became highly skilled and won art shows. Despite her parent’s disapproval of a career in art, she followed her heart and attempted a career in art. She landed a tattoo apprenticeship, but she disliked that her creative visions would be compromised by customers. After the experience, she felt that a career in art would not be as fulfilling as a career unless she has 100% freedom to create whatever she wants. She did know what she wanted in life, which was to travel the world and inspire others. Hang Minh’s interest in aviation was sparked when she got a chance to sit in the co-pilot’s seat during a trip to Key West in a Cirrus. She was intrigued by all the controls and instruments in the plane. She asked many questions and was in awe when the plane took off. Months later she decided to go on a discovery flight to see if aviation would be a career suited for her. She remembered how excited she was the night before the flight and even more so during the flight. After the flight, she can imagine herself flying around the world for the rest of her life. Her goal is to fly for a major airline and inspire other girls to become pilots. She is working on her private pilot certificate with about 35 hours in her logbook. In addition to serving as an intern for Asian Women in Aerospace and Aviation as a media specialist and web editor, she is also a college student and works at an entry level job to pay for her education and flight lessons. In the future, she hopes to inspire and help others achieve their goals.

Amy Chu's Story

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Amy’s love for flying began when she was 5 years old. Her family and she were moving from Korea to the States. She remembers seeing a very large plane with a Tiger emblem and thought “Wow this beast is taking us to our new home.” Amy was overwhelmed with excitement and knew from then that she wanted to fly airplanes. Since no one she knew had a background in aviation, her mother encouraged her to look into the flight program at The College of Aeronautics in Queens, NY. Soon after, she enrolled. Earning her flight ratings was definitely not an easy task since she was a full-time student and had to honor her familial duties. Funds for flying always seemed to be scarce but she was fortunate enough to land an internship at Federal Express, which eventually led to a full-time paid position as a flight coordinator. That position opened doors for her to meet many great pilots and enabled Amy to fund her flying lessons. There were many turbulent times where she was unable to afford taking flying lessons but she also had many inspiring moments where some pilots who believed in her dreams of becoming an airline pilot, directly assisted her in completing her flight ratings. She vowed that she would always extend the grace that was bestowed upon me to others in their time of need, by paying it forward. Upon graduation, she flight instructed and then got hired on with a regional airline. Then 9/11 occurred and there was a huge downturn in the industry, where she was furloughed along with many other pilots. During this trying time, she remembered her mother always telling her to look for opportunities where others may not. With that in mind, she stumbled upon a charter company that she was not familiar with called Sky King. This company ended up being one of the biggest blessings in disguise because it allowed her to fly internationally to Cuba, Guam, Hong Kong, and South & Central America. With those experiences under her belt, she was able to upgrade there as a B737 Captain. Later on, Sky King began facing financial hardships and had to file bankruptcy and downsize. A few of her colleagues mentioned that there was a company in Thailand that was hiring pilots. Amy took another leap of faith and moved to Thailand where she gained invaluable experience flying overseas. After her contract was over, she was hired back here in the States with jetBlue where she flew the E190 and A320. With a few more years, her dreams of getting to fly for a legacy carrier came true when she was hired by American Airlines. At American Airlines, she has had the opportunity to fly the B767 to Europe and currently is back flying the B737, based in NY. Amy’s career path definitely hasn’t been linear and has had bumps and detours. With all of that, becoming a pilot, was the best decision she ever made. Each turn brought new experiences, which led her to where she is today. She is honored to be a board member of Asian Women in Aerospace and Aviation because she believe there needs to be more AAPI women in aviation.