The Bachelor contestant, Rachel Recchia, explained the challenges she faced as she pursued her dream of becoming a pilot. Rachel, a 25-year-old commercial pilot and flight instructor from Clermont, Florida, told Clayton Echard about her career on their one-on-one date in Houston, Texas. After riding horses and enjoying a barbecue, Rachel and Clayton shared a romantic dinner during which she opened up to him about how the man from her previous relationship did not support her career path.
When Clayton asked Rachel why a woman like her was still single, Rachel shared how her career affected her previous relationship. She said that her ex-boyfriend was not supportive and thought that the amount of traveling Rachel would have to do would put a strain on their relationship. He worried about cheating after reading stories online. Rachel said that she had no support in that relationship, and she never wanted to experience conditional love like that again. She said that she wants to be married and be a mom, while still doing the job that she worked her whole life for. Clayton assured her that he had no concerns about her job, and he would never hold her back from doing something that she loves. Rachel said that he made her so happy because he said everything that she needed to hear.
In an interview with Tia Booth, Natasha Parker, and Mike Johnson on the Click Bait with Bachelor Nation podcast, Rachel explained the challenges of becoming a pilot. She said that she does not have any family members who inspired her to do this, but she discovered her career path when she traveled on planes when she was young. She shared that she always thought that flying was “the coolest thing ever. And just growing up, I always knew that that was the direction I wanted to go.” However, because aviation is a male-dominated industry, Rachel faced many difficulties as people underestimated her ability to do the job. She explained, “It is tough. Not only just women in aviation, but women in any sort of industry where you have to always be working a little bit harder than everyone else to be recognized.” She said that she always has to be a step ahead, but she really likes that she can show women and anyone who watches the show that she can do it.
Rachel went on to say that there were so many moments when she felt silenced as she pursued her career as a pilot because she was a woman. There were too many to count. She said that when she was a freshman, one of the guys in her class turned to her and said, “You haven’t dropped out yet?” Rachel felt added pressure as a woman in the field. She said, “You can’t make the same mistakes as everyone else. Because if you make them, [people say] of course Rachel made that mistake.” She said that even now, after episode 1 of The Bachelor aired, a couple of the men from her old flight school made a video making fun of her. She shared, “It was tough to see, but you can ask any woman who is in this field, or in any male-dominated field. It just is something you have to push through and deal with. But I try to take it with grace, and just do the best I can.” Rachel added that another challenge with being a pilot is that women get “put in a box” because people do not think that women can have a career like this and a family. They assume that she does not want to be married or have children. Rachel said, “And I always wanted both. I was like, ‘Why can’t I have a family? And why can’t I have this career?'” This is why having a supportive partner is so important to her.
Rachel’s ultimate career goal is to work for an airline and travel. She is completely done with all of her training, and all she needs now is the hours to get to the airlines. She said that it will take about a year until she gets there, and it is very exciting. Rachel is an inspiration and it will be inspiring to see her dream of becoming a pilot take flight.
The Bachelor airs Mondays at 8 p.m. EST on ABC.
