The American Aviation Community Gets Ready To Celebrate The 3rd Annual Event

The Institute for Women Of Aviation Worldwide announces the 3rd annual Women Of Aviation Worldwide Week, March 4-10, 2013. Held annually during the week of March 8, anniversary date of the first female pilot certificate worldwide, the week aims to foster diversity in aviation by celebrating history, raising awareness, and sparking vocations as thousands of girls and women are introduced to aviation through industry-wide collaboration.

Female-centric events, some offering aviation related interactive activities, others offering discovery flights, and many offering both have been organized throughout the United States.

The Frederick Airport Community will be defending its "Most Female Pilot Friendly Airport in the United States" title and aiming to recapture the world's title. Craig Fuller, president of AOPA, will participate in the quest by introducing girls and women to flying on Saturday, March 9, at AOPA's home airport. Holding on to the title will not be easy as many other locations in California, Florida, Idaho, Illinois, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Mississippi, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, and Washington State intend to challenge Frederick and other international locations. Event organizers include engaged individuals, both males and females, associations, museums, and flight schools. The flight schools will be competing for the "Most Female Pilot Friendly Training Center Worldwide" title.

Frederick will be center stage for the "50 Years of Women in Space" celebration by welcoming retired Air Force test pilot and astronaut, Pam Melroy, as well as NASA space engineer, Dr. Mamta Patel Nagaraja, who manages the Women@NASA project. Their presentations will be broadcast live over the internet. Girls and women registered for discovery flights worldwide will have an opportunity to ask them a question. NASA will be closely involved in the event taking place in Space Coast, FL, as members of NASA will attend to answer questions and NASA Deputy Director, Janet Petro, will be the keynote speaker.

New in 2013, professional women of aviation involved in commercial flight operations in a technical capacity such as pilot, air traffic controller, dispatcher, mechanic, engineer, etc. are invited to join the celebration from their workplace by reporting the details of the commercial flights they partly operate during the week. Using PlaneFinder.net's flight tracking technology, the commercial flight tracks will be combined with the female discovery flight tracks conducted at events or independently in an online visualization - code name "Women Color The Skies" - depicting the current and future state of women's involvement in the industry.

"The enthusiasm for acknowledging today's women of aviation and welcoming future women of aviation is certainly not fading over the years," says Mireille Goyer, Founder and President of the Institute for Women Of Aviation Worldwide. "We have 3 times as many events planned today as we did last year at the same time. Nearly 300 girls and women have already registered to fly at some events."

FMI: www.womenofaviationweek.org/