Girls in Aviation Day app launches

Once it is fully populated, the app, designed with users ages 8 through 17 in mind, will feature content including career videos, virtual museum tours, scholarship information, hands-on activities, book readings in multiple languages, and digital issues of Aviation for Girls magazine, which will become available during the event.

Entering its sixth year, the annual Girls in Aviation Day has grown significantly, and the 2019 event drew more than 20,000 participants from 18 countries. This year’s event, sponsored by the U.S. Air Force, will deliver a free, year-round experience for girls (or boys) around the world who are ready to dive into aviation, aerospace, science, technology, engineering, and math. 

“WAI is thrilled to connect with girls all year, without geographic constraints, and on their schedule, through our virtual experience delivered in the Aviation for Girls App,” said WAI CEO Allison McKay. “WAI will continue our expanding program of encouraging and inspiring girls—no matter where they live or learn—year-round with a continuously growing library of content that is key to the GIAD experience. We’re grateful that the U.S. Air Force values the importance of Girls in Aviation Day and has partnered with us to help launch the Aviation for Girls App, allowing us to bring the world of aviation to so many all over the world.”

In recent years, the aviation industry has made strides in attracting diverse audiences, though only 7 percent of pilots are female, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Leadership positions and technical operations are areas with the most underrepresentation of women in aviation.

Inspiring girls at a young age is important since many children are influenced by gender roles as young as age 4, according to several studies. Many studies have suggested that teens tend to naturally prefer role models they see as similar to themselves, which is why a primary focus of Girls in Aviation Day is to connect participants with role models they can look up to and who represent career opportunities they may never have considered.

“Women are underrepresented in the rated careers in the Air Force, and in aviation in general,” Lt. Col. Annie Driscoll, commander of the Air Force Recruiting Service’s Detachment 1, said in a news release. “With our partnership with Women in Aviation International we hope to change that. We want to help all girls AIM HIGH!”

Those interested in attending the virtual Girls in Aviation Day can visit the website for more information.