In addition to Women in Aviation International chapters, some of WAI’s corporate members are hosting Girls in Aviation Day events on Sept. 24.
The plans by corporate members include:
United Airlines and uIMPACT, United’s women’s Business Resource Group, will host a Girls in Aviation Day event in Chicago for the first time.
Girls from various organizations in the Chicagoland area will tour five different operational groups at O’Hare International Airport, including Flight Operations, Inflight Services, Operations Control Center, Customer Service and Ramp Services. They will also learn about the various career opportunities available for women in the aviation field during a panel discussion and Q&A session with United employees.
United Airlines’ uIMPACT-Western Chapter has invited young women, aged 12-18 years old, for a behind the scenes tour of United’s operations at San Francisco International Airport. The girls will work hand in hand with customer service agents to board passengers on an actual flight; observe the daily life of a ramp agent; join United’s maintenance technicians to see how they stand ready to repair maintenance items on an aircraft; and tour the Station Operations Control Center, the heart of the operation.
The girls will also have an opportunity to talk with pilots and in-fight crews and hear directly from women who work in all these positions who will share their stories and what they love about working in the field.
The National Flight Academy, an interactive, immersive, learning center that focuses on inspiring youth to take a greater interested in STEM activities, based in Pensacola, Florida, has planned a free all-day event for students between 8-13 years of age. Not surprisingly, the roster of 72 was filled within 48 hours.
Located adjacent to the National Naval Aviation Museum, the National Flight Academy’s adventure takes place on the landlocked, virtual aircraft carrier, Ambition (CVT-11). Students will rotate through four different stations and learn about air traffic control, the value of planning and debriefing, and the difference between powered aircraft and gliders. They will fly simulators in pilot and copilot teams, and participants will have the opportunity to hear women aviators speak about their careers in aviation.
Sporty’s Pilot Shop, through The Sporty’s Foundation, had committed to provide sectional training charts for Girls in Aviation Day. However, the FAA discontinued the sectional training chart, and the commercial printing company that took over the contract for printing sectional charts also declined to issue this particular chart.
“That’s when our friends at Sporty’s really stepped up to the plate and produced a sectional training chart just for Girls in Aviation Day,” says Dr. Chabrian. “Learning how to read a sectional chart continues to be a favorite activity for the girls.”
These organizations join the worldwide network of WAI Chapters that have planned their own Girls in Aviation Day events, based around local venues paired with ideas and resources provided by WAI, including the 2017 edition of WAI’s Aviation for Girls magazine.
More information on Girls in Aviation Day, September 24, 2016, including information about local chapter events, can be found at www.WAI.org/GIAD.