The girls stood on damp tarmac at London International Airport in southwestern Ontario, dressed in purple t-shirts, jackets and rain ponchos, brows furrowed inquisitively, faces lit up with smiles.
They sat in cockpits of civilian training aircraft and military jets, peered into the belly of a CH-47 Chinook helicopter, took turns piloting a drone. Others crowded around a grounded glider or waved batons as if guiding a plane on the taxiway.
Pilot, educator and co-organizer Jackie Book waded through the crowd of about 500 young women at the airport’s first-ever Girls in Aviation Day on June 7 and saw innumerable lightbulb moments.
“So many of those,” said Book, director of the commercial aviation program at London’s Western University and president of the Great Lakes-Canada chapter of Women in Aviation International.
“We had all these STEM [science, technology, engineering, and math] activities and you could be like, ‘Oh, that’s how the light works on an aircraft. That’s how a wind tunnel works.’ It was really cool.”
This is exactly what organizers hoped for: Hundreds of students in grades 6 to 8 from the local Thames Valley and London Catholic district school boards learning about the abundant opportunities waiting for them in aviation-related professions.
Dozens of college and university students also attended, networking with female role models and industry leaders.
“I think we will see more women in post-secondary educational studies related to aviation as a direct result of this,” said Book, who is also an active WestJet first officer on the Boeing 737 NG/Max, and a former CC-130J Hercules pilot with the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF).
“You start thinking about your career in grades six to eight … and if we keep exposing them to all these other different events, they’ll understand. They’ll get it.”
In an industry facing massive labour shortages, inspiring more women to enter aviation professions is seen as a crucial strategy—as well as a tremendous opportunity for underrepresented groups.
Less than 10 percent of people in aviation-related professions in Canada are women, said Book. There’s still plenty of room for everyone, including young men, to find meaningful careers here, but the industry is also trying to shake free of the stigma, social conditioning and sexist tropes that have historically discouraged women from pursuing these types of jobs.
“We believe early exposure to careers and positive female mentorship inspires students to
explore diverse pathways in STEM, aviation, and pathways to future success,” said Mandy Cleland, Thames Valley STEM Learning Coordinator.
“The Girls and Aviation Day 2024 was the most memorable, purposeful, and engaging field trip that our students and teachers have ever attended,” said Erin Connor, a teacher and librarian at Elgin Court Public School in St. Thomas, Ont.
“All of the stations were hands-on and directly linked to their prior learning in math, science and technology. Seeing the girls fully immersed in head-to-toe firefighter gear and completing obstacle course challenges was empowering. Connecting with women who were in the aviation field left girls encouraged to consider new career pathways that they never knew were possible.”
Thames Valley has actively built aviation into its elementary and secondary-school curricula, particularly through its Aviation High School program.
Aviation High School is a massively popular initiative that allows students to take an aviation-focused approach to their studies in grades 10 through 12 in a Specialist High Skills Major (SHSM).
Similar programs have sprouted across Canada, in part as a response to the shortage of pilots, aircraft maintenance engineers (AMEs), and other related professionals.
It has become increasingly clear to educators at all levels that aviation touches on a broad constellation of careers, including law, medicine, emergency services and air traffic control, that will all require an influx of top-notch talent over the next decade and beyond.
By reaching students early, educators believe they can build a funnel toward post-secondary studies that will set young people up for success in aviation careers.
“The Girls in Aviation Day was so relevant for education because all pathways were represented, from elementary, secondary, college, apprenticeship, university and industry partners, to inspire female-identifying students to see themselves and the future diverse possibilities available in aviation,” said Laura Briscoe, SHSM and Experiential Learning coordinator for Thames Valley.
“Inspiring and exposing young females to all things aviation is vital to ensuring a healthy future for the aerospace industry,” added Scott McFadzean, president and CEO of London International Airport.
“It is critically important that our industry continues to close the gender gap and encourage more women to explore the many exciting opportunities within the aerospace sector.”
These kinds of outreach events also have strong industry components, with stakeholders from commercial airlines like WestJet, Air Canada Jazz and Porter, along with Nav Canada, Transport Canada, Ornge Air Ambulance, the London Fire Department, the RCAF and many others.
Executive Aviation, a fixed-based operator (FBO) in London, also lent its hangar for the day, allowing students to participate in several indoor interactive activities. Outside the hangar, students tugged a vintage Canadair CT-133 ‘Red Night’ aircraft from Jet Aircraft Museum in an aircraft pull. Dozens more activities proliferated nearby.
“I think it was wonderful,” said Book. “People were tracking us down saying, ‘Oh my gosh, this was the best day ever. Thank you so much for putting this on.’ That made it all worthwhile.”
The plan is to make this an annual event in London, and for the concept to spread across Canada—in addition to the similar events already in motion in Ontario and elsewhere.
“I would say anything is possible,” said Book, sending a message to young women contemplating their career plans. “The aviation sector is expanding like never before. We’ve never seen this type of expansion, not since World War Two.”
“People always used to say the sky’s the limit, but the sky is not the limit,” she added. “We see that especially with the Canadian government putting more money into the Canadian Space Agency. The sky is not the limit anymore; it’s so much beyond that.”
