Local Ninety-Nines Female Aviators Mentor Girl Scouts

Recently 90 girl scouts gathered at nearby Chicago Executive Airport to learn the fundamentals of aviation and have a taste of what it might be like to become a pilot or have a career in aviation one day. The event, Girl Scout Aviation Day, hosted by the local chapter of the Chicago Ninety-Nines was a way to get young women interested in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM), all important components of aviation. Girls where allowed to sit the cockpits of planes, learn the various controls, and even do an actual pre-flight of an aircraft like pilots do before flight operations.

On hand, a number of professional woman pilots shared their past experiences in aviation and how the world of airplanes, flying, and being high up in the sky has been a great joy and inspiration for them. The Ninety-Nines is an international association of woman pilots formed in 1929 and boast as their first president, Amelia Earhart, known as the first woman to fly across the Atlantic Ocean. The Ninety- Nine’s support Girl Scout Aviation Day locally and in different locations around the country to inspire girls and help them to earn their Girl Scout badges.

The Chicago Executive airport is the fourth busiest airport in Illinois, logging over 77,000 departures and landings annually, with both commercial and private general aviation aircraft utilizing the airport. To help augment pilot safety at the airport, the Ninety-Nines and the Chicago Executive Pilot Association (CEPA), the local airport pilot association, have working relationships to help promote safe aviation.

The Chicago Executive Pilot’s Association (CEPA) invites local pilots and their families to join and provides ongoing safety seminars, provides aviation scholarships, and hosts social events for pilots and the public. To learn more about CEPA visit www.pwkpilots.org. To learn more about the Ninety Nines visit www.ninety-nines.org