Eyes on the Skies – Women in Aviation, International
By Donia MooreLois Truchinski has a history of competing in women’s transcontinental air races – four of them. She competed in the 1977 and 1978 Angel Derbys from Columbus, Ohio to Freeport, Bahamas (1977) and Dallas, Tex. to Freeport, Bahamas (1978). 1979 saw her and her co-pilot competing in the Air Race Classic from Santa Monica to Milwaukee, Wisc., competing against 38 other racing teams. In 1980, she and her co-pilot, Caroline Morey, took to the skies once again for the Air Race Classic, flying from Texas to South Carolina. She joins a sisterhood of flying that includes more than 75 Chapters in the U.S. and in more than 14 countries from all over Africa, Asia, Canada, Europe, and the Middle East. Women in Aviation, International (WAI)Women in Aviation, International is dedicated to the encouragement and advancement of women in all aviation career fields and interests. The nonprofit organization, founded in 1990, now boasts more than 11,000 members, including astronauts, corporate pilots, maintenance technicians, air traffic controllers, business owners, educators, journalists, flight attendants, high school and university students, air show performers, airport managers and many others.
It is their mission to provide year-round resources to assist women in aviation and to encourage young women to consider aviation as a career. WAI also offers educational outreach programs to educators, aviation industry members, and young people nationally and internationally. Their most recent initiative is the “Girls in Aviation” Day program is for girls, ages 8-16. WAI chapters throughout the world hold these programs annually. They feature inspiring speakers, information on aviation career paths, and hands-on experiences that may include flying a flight simulator, acting as an Air Traffic Controller, learning to read a pilot’s navigational chart, safety wire practice, and more. Many WAI members also participate with EAA’s Young Eagles program, taking aspiring young pilots up for their first flight.WAI introduces young women and girls into the sisterhood of general aviation and assists them in keeping up to date on aviation around the world. To that end, WAI provides scholarships, career path guidance and information, and support to women and girls who want to know more about aviation career opportunities. There are more than 39,621 women pilots as of the last count taken by the FAA Aeronautical Center and over 300,000 women in aviation careers.WAI “Unintentional Mentors”While WAI sponsors “Girls in Aviation” days, where girls and young women are invited to scheduled workshops and conferences to help them learn more about aviation, members often find themselves as “unintentional mentors.” Girl Scout troops, daughters of friends, FBO fans – anyone who has the love of aviation in their blood is a perfect candidate for mentoring.
Julia Hamlin Harrington, a 2014 participant in Cessna’s Discover Flying Challenge internship from Chicago, got to know WAI member and aerobatic pilot, Patty Wagstaff, at Oshkosh over 10 years ago. Julia started flying when she was 12, out of Schaumberg Regional Airport in her hometown. She learned to fly in a Cessna 172 Skyhawk single engine aircraft. “I can still vividly remember the feeling I got the first time I was at the controls of an airplane, and I still get the same feeling every time I take off,” she said. Her desire to be a pilot ignited when she was eight while watching Patty perform at Oshkosh. She told her father “I’m going to do that when I grow up,” and she hasn’t looked back since. “Patty saw my enthusiasm and let me spend time with her and her crew for the week.” Julia was hooked. Patty encouraged her throughout all her flight training and application to Cessna’s intern program. Julia spent much of her Intern experience in the Pacific Northwest, later taking in more of the California coast. At the end of the internship, she flew back to Oshkosh and thought about the memories of the exciting week she spent with Patty when she determined that she, too, would one day become a pilot.Cessna 172 Skyhawk - The Star of Cessna’s “Discover Flying Challenge” InternshipsIf someone handed you the keys to a brand new Cessna 172 Skyhawk and said, “ok, go fly,” you’d think you hit the jackpot. That’s just what happens if you are one of the lucky Cessna summer interns for the “Discover Flying Challenge.”Cessna has been at the forefront of the general aviation experience for more than 85 years. With a looming shortage of future pilots anticipated, Cessna is taking action to help build interest in general aviation. The Cessna Discover Flying Challenge is a summer internship for young pilots that feeds their dream of flying. From the very first discovery flight to a pilot’s first solo to every flight thereafter, more pilots’ dreams take off in a Cessna 172 Skyhawk single-engine aircraft. Once a candidate survives the grueling interview and acceptance process, the intern receives her (or his) own keys to a brand new Cessna 172 Skyhawk. Then it’s test-drive time. Assigned a particular region of the country, the intern team flies to different events promoting general aviation to excite the public about flying, often giving demo rides. Intern responsibilities include: attending pancake fly-ins, open houses and other events planned by Cessna and their affiliates; take pictures, videos, and post to Cessna’s social media outlets; travel to Cessna Pilot Centers throughout a defined territory, and perform familiarization flights in Cessna products. Cessna interns also attend the famous EAA Fly-In Oshkosh, Wisc. and talk with Cessna customers about their experience of flying Cessna single-engine aircraft. Not bad for a summer job!WAI Scholarships – Feeding the DreamEvery year, thousands of dollars of scholarships are awarded to WAI students following education paths in many different areas of aviation. For 2016, alone, sponsors have offered more than 98 scholarships totaling over $480,000. Fields include: aerospace engineering; flight instruction; flight training; aviation technology; FAA air traffic controller; aircraft maintenance; A&P mechanic training; and many more. To apply, applicants must be a member of Women in Aviation International prior to Nov. 1, 2015, and that membership must remain current through March 2016. Check with WAI at www.WAI.org, or call 937/839-4647 for more information. All applications must be signed and postmarked by Nov. 16, 2015WAI: Hall of Fame Women in AviationKatharine Wright is only one of the top 100 women pioneers in aviation in the WAI Hall of fame. Amelia Earhart is on the list, of course, but there are others not so well known outside of aviation circles.Emily Howell Warner was the first permanent female pilot for a scheduled U.S. passenger airline. She took her first airplane ride when she was 17 and immediately decided on aviation as a career.Moya Olson Lear was her husband’s partner and confidante. When William Powell Lear, avionics genius and entrepreneur, died, she took over his last great project, the Lear Fan, upon his death in 1978. Serving as chairman of the board of Lear Avia, Inc., she brought the airplane to its successful first flight.Jeana Yeager studied energy, aerospace design, and commercial engineering draftsmanship. In March of 1981, with partner Dick Rutan, Yeager founded Voyager Aircraft, Inc. where she devoted herself exclusively to the building, testing, developing, and flying of the Voyager for its around-the-world, non-stop, non-refueled flight. On Dec. 14, 1986, Yeager and Rutan began their history-making flight in the Voyager, flying the maximum circumference of the globe in nine days, three minutes, and 44 seconds.Patty Wagstaff flies one of the most thrilling acrobatic performances in the world. She is a three-time U.S. National Acrobatic Champion and six-time member of the U.S. National Aerobatic Team. The airplane that Wagstaff first flew to victory in the 1991 U.S. National Aerobatic Championship, the prototype BF Goodrich Aerospace Extra 260, was inducted into the National Air and Space Museum in Washington, DC.WAI Chapters Near YouThere is almost always a chapter nearby if you are in the United States or Canada. Most have a list of events and most chapters attend the International conference. Go to www.wai.org to find the chapter closest to you. Be a mentor or just support the women and girls in the program. Participate in a “Girls in Aviation” Day. Most of all, remember what your first “magic carpet” ride was like, and share it with a girl with her eyes on the skies
