Women in Aviation

The Air Race Classic last held an actual race event in 2019, when it celebrated its 44th year. With pandemic restrictions in place last June—the month the event is normally held—and projected to still curb large gatherings early this summer, the ARC organization searched for a solution that would be better than cancelling the historic women’s air […]

From preparing for an airline interview to learning how to pitch to donors for your non-profit organization’s fundraiser, Women in Aviation’s annual conference has always been about professional development for all of those who attend. Just because attendees have joined the conference virtually this year doesn’t mean the collaboration, networking, and advancement have diminished. If […]

The organization began as a Facebook group focused on providing support and mentorship for women who have pursued careers as pilots. Now, membership has grown to 11,800 members at last count, and it’s developed to the point where it is able to offer scholarships to eligible pilots, including type ratings. The application window is open […]

Last year brought a number of transitions to Women in Aviation International—namely the passing of the leadership baton from founder Dr. Peggy Chabrian to new CEO Allison McKay—but the last “normal” event that many folks in the aviation industry attended was the organization’s annual conference in Orlando, Florida, at the Disney Coronado Springs Resort. For […]

According to Women in Aviation International (WAI), data from the FAA’s Aeronautical Center for December 31, 2019, showed 664,565 pilots, of which 52,740 were female—or 7.9 percent of the total pilot population in the United States. That is up from the 5.69 percent of pilots that were women in 2000, and with a little more […]

With several events commemorating Girls in Aviation Day on September 26 via an app, it’s fitting that this would also be the week to release a book that celebrates the accomplishment of one young woman’s recent round-the-world flight. Shaesta Waiz made history as the first Afghan-American woman to pilot a single-engine airplane solo around the […]

Women in Aviation International launches its Girls in Aviation Day app, with the virtual celebration for kids ages 8-17 that kicks off on September 26. The mobile app contains a host of free content, including aviation career videos, hands-on activities, virtual tours of aviation museums, and a copy of Aviation for Girls magazine. Young people […]

When Emily Hanrahan bought her first ticket to fly on an airplane—a Douglas DC-3 flown by Frontier Airlines from Denver to Gunnison, Colorado—she thought she might be interested in becoming a stewardess. It was 1959, after all. After a second trip aloft, her flight back to Denver—invited up to the cockpit by the pilots on […]

Women in Aviation International last week opened their doors to the annual treasure trove of scholarship dollars for it members. In a news release, WAI said, “Currently, there are 56 scholarships offered for flight training, engineering, maintenance, dispatcher, and professional development for individuals in all stages of life. Additional scholarships and internships will be added […]

For so many reading this profile, “giving back” through some form of philanthropic flying is a big part of why we fly. To see the smile on a child’s face when a rescued puppy is delivered to its forever family, or taking a person up for their first taste of what our world of flight […]