Women Can Fly Events Target Youth For Aviation

On Saturday, June 22, the Old Dominion chapter of the Ninety-Nines, Inc., and the Virginia Department of Aviation, sponsored the fourth in its series of Women Can Fly events at Shannon Airport in Fredericksburg, Virginia. The event carries on a legacy started six years ago intended to bring women—especially young women and girls—to the airport to expose them to general aviation.

At the event, women aged 8 years and up are offered flights given by volunteer pilots in their airplanes, along with a pre-flight briefing that introduces the participants to the airplane. Representative pilots from the military, corporate, and personal aviation attend to talk one-on-one with those interested in learning more about aviation, including career opportunities. Specific activities for each location can be found on the website as well as a sign-up form for flights.

The event was the second one hosted at Shannon, and two more will take place this year—one on Saturday, June 29 from 9 am to 4 pm at the Warrenton-Fauquier Airport near Warrenton, Virginia, and on September 21 from 10 am to 2 pm at the Military Aviation Museum in Virginia Beach. Both events will be held rain or shine.