NEWS RELEASE
WATERLOO WELLINGTON FLIGHT CENTRE
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Waterloo Wellington Flight Centre’s (WWFC) annual Girls Can Fly event will take place Saturday, May 13 from 9 a.m. - 4 p.m., rain or shine! It is a free educational event that promotes women in aviation and offers free flights for girls aged 8-18 years. 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 275 seats required advanced registration and filled up in eight minutes. Hundreds of young ladies will take to the skies and discover there is no limit to what they can do!
Just like events past, support and representation from the aviation industry continue to be tremendous. Porter Airlines will bring a Q400 plane for public tours and Jazz will be bringing a CRJ900 aircraft along with their team to the event, eager to inspire the next generation of female aviation professionals. Also, new this year, Sunwing Airlines is bringing a 737 aircraft to the event along with a team of pilots and crew! And for animal lovers, Pilots4Paws will be on site with some furry friends to promote the work they do for dogs in need of rehoming and medical attention. Attendees will also have the chance to view the Pipistrel Velis Electro, the first all-electric aircraft in Canada.
“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. Girls and their families will have the opportunity to tour our facility, meet women in the industry, learn more about aviation, and go for a free flight.”
The day will also feature exhibitors from the industry who will have some interactive components and static displays, including flight simulators, virtual reality, de-icing and fire trucks, aviation activities for kids, and MUCH more. WWFC has confirmed the following vendors:
- Air Cadets 822 at CYKF
- Air Canada
- AME Association of Ontario
- Bearskin Airlines
- Canadian Aviation Pride
- Centennial College
- Chartright Air Group
- Conestoga College
- COPA Breslau Flyers Flight 26
- Elevate Aviation
- Food Bank of Waterloo Region
- Flair Airlines
- Great Lakes Helicopter
- Gus & Clara Photography
- Jazz Aviation
- Lost Aviator Coffee
- Mega Cone Creamery
- Mid-Canada Mod Center
- Mohawk College
- NAVBLUE
- Northern Lights Aero Foundation
- Perimeter Aviation
- Pilots4Paws
- Pop-Up VR Inc.
- Porter Airlines
- Private Air
- Region of Waterloo International Airport
- Runways Cafe
- Sunwing Airlines
- Transport Canada
- uFly Simulator
- University of Waterloo
- Voyageur Aviation
- Waterloo Warbirds
- Waterloo on the Grand Ninety-Nines
- Waterloo Institute for Sustainable Aeronautics (WISA)
- Waterloo Regional Police Services
- Waterloo Wellington Flight Centre
- Waterloo Wellington Flight Centre - Drone Training
- Wasaya Airways
- Wingstars
"Everyone is encouraged to come to the event, even if they did not get a flight," commented Connors. "It's a great opportunity for families to learn more about the aviation industry. It's truly an inspiring and energized day."
Girls Can Fly 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 with the shortage of aviation professionals, it’s an even greater opportunity for young women to enter the industry, which extends beyond flying an aircraft. Aircraft Maintenance Engineers (AMEs), Air Traffic Controllers, and Flight Instructing are just a few examples of the many options aviation provides for a fulfilling and rewarding career.
Gender Equality
Women are still underrepresented in the aviation sector. While airlines have women in customer-facing jobs onboard or on the ground, the lack of gender diversity within the industry is still prevalent in the more technical positions like engineers, air traffic controllers, and pilots. Gender equality is not a women’s issue – it’s an issue that concerns everyone. WWFC is 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 on introducing the aviation industry to youth and their families.
For more information about Girls Can Fly visit https://wwfc.ca/girlscanfly or follow our social media pages.
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