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The Institute for Women Of Aviation Worldwide (iWOAW) has announced that the value for the top Fly It Forward scholarship in 2020 will be $10,000.
Women Of Aviation Worldwide Week, the global aviation awareness week for girls of all ages, will turn 10 years old in March 2020. To mark the milestone, iWOAW will give $10,000 towards flight training to the 2020 winner of the Second Step Challenge thanks to a generous grant by CAE, one of iWOAW’s corporate allies,
Furthermore, CAE, a worldwide leader in civil aviation training present in 35 countries, will offer the 2020 winner a VIP visit of the CAE pilot training centre closest to where she lives.
On March 8, 1910, Raymonde de Laroche earned the world’s first female pilot licence – a commercial licence, the only type at the time. In doing so, she formerly opened the doors of aviation for all women. When de Laroche received pilot licence #36, the female pilot population stood at 3 per cent. Nearly 110 years later, the percentage of female pilots worldwide is less than 3 per cent. Some countries still have none.
The Fly It Forward Challenge was launched by Mireille Goyer, iWOAW’s founder and president, in 2010 to celebrate the centennial of the formal entry of women in the air and space industry. The goal was to introduce record numbers of women and girls to aviation in order to address the striking gender gap in some of the industry’s occupations.
Since Goyer’s 2010 call to action, aviation enthusiasts, professionals and corporations have rallied to introduce 314,000 girls of all ages to aviation and conducted 61,265 Fly It Forward flights as part of Women Of Aviation Worldwide Week, the week of March 8.
“Engaging and inspiring women and girls is only the first step to changing the face of aviation,” said Goyer. “Turning sparks into life-long passions is the second step. That’s why iWOAW rewards the winner of the Second Step Challenge with a Fly It Forward scholarship every year.”
To become eligible to win this scholarship, women and girls must go on a first small aircraft flight during Women Of Aviation Worldwide Week (March 2-8, 2020). They may attend one of the hundreds of events taking place across the globe during the week or visit a local flight school on their own.
By reporting their eligible experience on the week’s official website before the March 12, 2020 deadline, they automatically become a candidate for the scholarship. The $10,000 winner will be the first lady among all eligible candidates to document flying solo.
Additional scholarships may be available depending on the level of donations in the Fly It Forward Fund at the beginning of the week.
