Participants climbed through the various aircraft on static display and met with the crews that operate them. Donna Rae Photo
Out of 24,505 professional pilots in Canada, only 1,356 of them are women. Out of 19,601 aircraft engineers, only 560 of them are women. Less than three percent of the technical positions in the Royal Canadian Air Force, such as pilot or maintenance technician, are held by women. Canada is not alone – the U.S. shares similar statistics and many countries have yet to announce female firsts in aviation, aerospace and space.
It would be easy to conclude that women are unwelcome in these fields. Instead, studies have shown that a common perception persists that aviation and aerospace are reserved for men. Since society observes mostly men employed in these fields, this perception is continually reinforced.
The Sky’s No Limit – Girls Fly Too! free outreach events and other initiatives aim to change this perception by specifically welcoming women to the airport and giving them an interactive, hands-on introduction to aviation, aerospace and space. Over 9,800 participants attended over the two day event March 7 to 8, 2015.
Things were a little hectic on opening day…Most aircraft arrived the night before however several aircraft belong to commercial or crown operators and were on active duty. Despite the best of intentions weather, logistics and operational requirements sometimes have an adverse impact on aircraft availability and arrival times. While some might complain that late arrivals present an interference to the event schedule, we prefer to point out that part of the attraction of the aviation, aerospace and space industries is the requirement to continually overcome and often creatively adapt to ever changing circumstances.
Late arrivals to an already impressive static display included Nav Canada’s Canadian built Canadair Regional Jet (CRJ-200) – fresh in from performing early morning safety checks on one of the instrument approaches at YVR. Then came a procession of Air Cadets, gliders under tow, and a Cessna 182 tow plane all from Air Cadet’s Regional Gliding School (Pacific), followed by Helijet’s sleek Sikorsky S-76 helicopter. Not to be outdone, the Canadian Coast Guard Bell 212 helicopter made a rather spectacular arrival – late from a last minute diversion enroute to check on survivors from an overturned vessel – and was personally guided into its special parking space by the event organizer, Kirsten Brazier.
The stage was then set for an impressive opening ceremonies, emceed by RCAF Colonel (Ret) George Miller. Distinguished Guests included the Honourable Judith Guichon, Lieutenant Governor for British Columbia; Mr. Mark Warawa, Member of Parliament for Langley; the Honourable Rich Coleman, Deputy Premier for BC; the Honourable Michael de Jong, Minister of Finance; Councillor Brenda Falk, City of Abbotsford; Captain Kirsten Brazier, Founder The Sky’s No Limit – Girls Fly Too!; Captain (Ret) Wendy Lawrence, NASA Astronaut and US Navy Helicopter Pilot. Her Honour’s Pipe Major John Mager piped the procession into proper position where O Canada was played by the Royal Canadian Air Cadets band from 746 Squadron.
Girls sit in a cockpit waiting to experience their first flight. Double Exposure Photography Photo
Free Introductory flights for female first-time fliers
One of the unique attractions to the event is the magical first flight experience for female first-fliers. Over the course of the two day event, 1741 girls and women of all ages flew for the first time.
The majority of the target female audience have no experience with, or exposure to aviation. Before we can engage and inspire females with the limitless opportunities available in aviation, aerospace and space, we must first attract them to the airport and grab their attention. We can think of no better way to do this than by taking them flying for the first time – the first flight experience is so incredible we just have to share it!
NASA Astronaut and U.S. Navy Helicopter Pilot Wendy Lawrence with a new fan. AvStar Technology Inc. Photo
NASA Astronaut Wendy Lawrence
Participants were thrilled to meet NASA Astronaut and U.S. Navy Helicopter Pilot (Ret) Wendy Lawrence and ply her with questions about her incredible accomplishments and space experiences.
Generations of future leaders were inspired by Wendy’s remarks at our opening ceremonies as she encouraged women to reach for the stars and explore aviation, aerospace and space careers.
After graduation from the US Naval Academy in 1981 Wendy flew helicopters off ships, and was tasked with helicopter combat support and anti- submarine squadrons. Later, Wendy became the first graduate of the US Naval Academy to fly into space, and has flown four space missions including a visit to MIR, the Russian Space Station.
Event exhibitors employed hands-on learning activities to inspire and educate participants. Double Exposure Photography Photo
Fun, interactive aviation, aerospace and space activities
While many participants are initially drawn to our events by the magical first flight experience, the real mission of exploration and discovery begins in the hangar and on the flight line static display.
Participants were able to climb through the various aircraft on static display and meet with the crews that operate them.
Aviation, aerospace and space activities were awesome this year! Event exhibitors were encouraged to be creative and employ hands-on learning activities to inspire and educate participants
An immersive space experience, riveting a real aircraft, learning how downed aircraft are found by search and rescue crews, flight simulators, air traffic control simulators, live ATC radar feed to YVR Airport, the dismantling of aircraft engines and rotor heads, lockwiring fasteners and a tactile examination of various aircraft structures were included among the cool activities.
