WAI Readies for Girls in Aviation Day

Participation in Girls in Aviation Day has spread far beyondthe vision of the event five years ago as airports, FBOs, museums, universitiesand corporate members have joined Women in Aviation International (WAI)Chapters and Corporate Members to help spread the word that aviation andaerospace offer a rich variety of career choices for young women. Girls inAviation Day is October 5, 2019, and will be celebrated worldwide.

In addition to the United States, Girls in Aviation Dayevents will take place in 16 countries. They are Australia, Botswana, Cameroon,Canada (four events), England, France, India (three events), Kenya, Italy,Netherlands, Nigeria, Scotland, South Africa (four events), Spain, Switzerland,and Zambia.

“And if you can’tmake it to any event, we — or rather Embry-Riddle — has a plan for that,” saysWAI Outreach Director Molly Martin. “Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University ishosting a virtual Girls in Aviation Day for anyone who can’t physically attendone of the 118 events.”

United Airlines has increased its participation in Girls inAviation Day 2019 by presenting events at 11 United locations in the UnitedStates (Atlanta, Phoenix, Los Angeles, San Diego, San Francisco, Denver,Chicago, Cleveland, Newark, Houston, and Dulles) and six European locations(London, Paris, Rome, Amsterdam, Edinburgh, and Zurich).

Many of WAI’s corporate members are also presenting theirown events. Those corporate members are Aviation Institute of Maintenance, CrewAviation, Cutter Aviation, Delta Air Lines (through its WING Flight program),National Flight Academy, Pratt & Whitney/United Technologies, SignatureFlight Service/Atlantic City, Sling Pilot Academy, Soaring Airport and AirportAuthority, and Sonoma Jet Center. Sporty’s Pilot Shop has suppliedinstructional sectional charts to further fuel the interest in aviation.

“Although photos and videos come close, it’s difficult todescribe the enthusiasm these girls show for aviation, many of whom have nevertouched or ridden in an aircraft,” adds Martin. “Whether it’s a very young girldonning a pilot hat and leather jacket and seeing herself as a pilot, a girlmeeting a female role model in any of the dozens of careers represented atthese events, or a high school girl learning about aviation majors and careertracks in college, Girls in Aviation Day definitely changes lives – we’re sureof that.”

In all, WAI estimates20,000 girls will take part in a Girls in Aviation Day 2019. That figurerepresents exponential growth from the first events in 2015 when just under4,000 girls participated worldwide.

The 31st Annual International Women in Aviation Conference will be held March 5-7, 2020, in Orlando, Florida.