Hands-on learning at London airport shows young girls the sky's the limit
CBC
The London International Airport welcomed hundreds of elementary students on Friday for a first-of-its-kind event launched to spark an interest in aviation for young girls.
More than 500 girls in grades 6 to 8 visited the airport to take part in Girls in Aviation Day. Hosted by the Great Lakes Aviators Canada Chapter of Women in Aviation International, students engaged in a number of interactive sessions aimed at inspiring them to consider professions in aviation.
"Our local chapter wants to generate excitement for girls to understand all opportunities and careers possible in aviation," said Jackie Book, the local chapter and director of commercial aviation management at Western University.
Students visited over 20 booths set up to highlight different aspects of the male-dominated industry.
"It's certainly a gender-biased industry," said Scott McFadzean, the president and CEO of the London International Airport. "A lot of people care about the pilot shortage impacting the industry, but they don't realize there are so many other career options that are available in aviation, whether it be aircraft maintenance, aerospace engineering, aviation, medical, the list goes on."
Women currently make up less than 10 per cent of aviation professionals across Canada and less than three per cent in aircraft mechanics, McFadzean added.
"All of these roles have tremendous demand right now," he said. "[We are] exposing young females to that at this critical age of Grades 6 to 8 … and just letting them know what opportunities exist and hopefully inspiring them to go after careers in this field."
Students from the Thames Valley District School Board (TVDSB) and London Catholic District School Board had the opportunity to try different activities, such as building electric circuits, testing a wind tunnel and flying small drones. Students also got to climb aboard a number of aircraft and got an inside look at how they work.
Elizabeth Shaumo, a Grade 8 student, said the experience reignited a childhood passion for planes.
"When I was younger, honestly, I actually liked planes," she said. "They were probably one of my favourite things."
After spending time at the interactive stations, Shaumo said she is considering aviation as a potential career.
"I'm kind of 50/50 right now about it," she said.
Ava Botheras is a Grade 7 student at Blessed Sacrament Secondary School who said she didn't know much about planes or aviation careers before the field trip.
"It was a fun experience and really cool to see how different things were working," said Botheras, adding that by the end of her field trip, she said she wanted to fly one.
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