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Waterloo Wellington Flight Centre (WWFC) is pleased to announce it will be holding its annual Girls Can Fly event on Saturday, May 14 from 10am-4pm. It is a FREE educational event that promotes women in aviation and offers free flights for girls aged 8-18 years. Everyone is invited to this Rain or Shine event, even if they do not get a flight. Planes and volunteer pilots are generously provided by WWFC and COPA Breslau Flyers Flight 26. Additionally, Great Lakes Helicopter has volunteered helicopter rides throughout the day. All flights require advanced registration which opens April 12 at 10:00am through our website: wwfc.ca/girls-can-fly. In previous years, registration has filled up within 30 minutes due to overwhelming interest.
“This is the perfect opportunity for girls and young women to become interested in aviation,” commented Bob Connors, General Manager of WWFC. “We are thrilled to be able to hold this hugely successful event again, after having had to cancel the past two years. Girls and their families will have the opportunity to tour our state-of-the-art facility, meet women in the industry, learn more about aviation and go for a free flight.”
Like past events, support and representation from the industry is overwhelming. Porter Airlines has confirmed they will be bringing a Q400 plane for public tours, filled with excited Porter staff, including women pilots. Jazz has also confirmed they will be bringing a plane and team to the event.
The day will also feature exhibitors from the industry who will have some interactive components and static displays. So far, WWFC has already confirmed:
The event also features:
- Simulation tours by uFly Simulator
Girls Can Fly is a prime opportunity for girls and families to take part in aviation activities, flights, tours and to learn more about the industry.
“If visitors haven’t been able to sign up for a free flight, I’d still encourage them to come to the event,” commented Connors. “It’s a great opportunity for everyone to learn and meet women in the industry. It’s truly an inspiring and energized day.”
The event was established to promote the aviation industry to girls and young women. The representation of women in the aviation industry has changed over the years, but there is still a long way to go. And now with the shortage of pilots it’s an even greater opportunity for young women to enter the industry.
The shortage of pilots is not just a Canadian issue. It’s something that is being talked about around the world. Airlines are working with flight schools and taking young pilots to mentor and groom for jobs.
Pilots are not the only career in demand. Aircraft Maintenance Engineers (AME) are also seeing a shortage in recruits and looking for new ways to source staff.
Gender Equality
The WWFC aviation program works cooperatively with industry partners to define and deliver training that meets the needs of modern airlines.
“Canadian airlines have stated they’ll be hiring nearly 2,000 commercial pilots in the next 12 months, but only about 600 Canadians will be produced by Canadian flight schools,” commented Connors.
The low rate of women in the aviation industry also plays a factor.
“The ratio of women to men in the aviation industry remains low,” stated Connors. “However, that can change with increased awareness and promotion of career opportunities to young women. There are many women pilots, AMEs and controllers who are very successful and well respected and there is huge opportunity for more.”
WWFC is both involved in gender-equality initiatives to reach out to young women and highlight aviation career paths, such as pilots, air traffic controllers and maintenance professionals. WWFC hosts Girls Can Fly each year with a focus of introducing the aviation industry to youth and their families.
For more information about Girls Can Fly visit wwfc.ca/girls-can-fly/ or follow our social media pages.
This press release was prepared and distributed by WWFC
