Girls In Aviation Takes Flight
The Connecticut chapter of Women in Aviation International held the annual Girls in Aviation, at Brainard Airport on Sept. 23, where more than 100 young women learned about careers in the flight and aeronautics industries.
Similar events celebrating women in aviation were held around the world. Participants conducted scientific experiments, met with pilots and engineers, and sat at the controls of several aircraft, including a small passenger jet.
Representatives from United Technologies Corporation (UTC), Pratt & Whitney, and Civil Air Patrol encouraged the girls to explore careers in aviation, a growing industry in need of pilots, designers, and engineers.
Mary Anne Cannon, the vice president of Commercial Programs at Pratt & Whitney, said the all-day program began four years ago.
"It's really to share with young ladies about the aviation industry and inspire them about on cool aviation is," she said.
Cannon wanted the girls to better understand the math and science behind aeronautics.
"It's a great opportunity for these young ladies to get their hands on and see how flight works," Cannon said.
Participants made model helicopters, launched air-pressured rockets, or learned about propulsion. She added the event has only grown, attracting girls from all over the region, and including a group from Massachusetts.
She was encouraged by the buzz in the hanger, a sign the girls were engaged and interacting with industry experts. Cannon, who has been an engineer at Pratt & Whitney for 28 years, said her father supported her decision to enter the aviation industry.
"Seeing parents, both fathers and mothers, supporting the young children in the STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) field in important," Cannon said.
Arianna McCloud, 13, came to the event with a group from Girls Inc., located in Holyoke, Massachusetts. She learned about flight dynamics, propulsion, and basic flight engineering.
"It was really cool learning about that," McCloud said.
She has been thinking lately about college and career choices. A career in aviation is one pathway she plans to explore. McCloud, who enjoys studying science, has also explored a career as a computer technician.
She added Girls Inc. encourages members to be "Strong, Smart and Bold," unafraid to dream big.
"Girls can do exactly what boys can do," she said.
Carol Sanogueira, the event's chairwoman, said the day allowed girls access to women who are engineers, pilots, and mechanics - women who succeeded in roles normally considered for men.
"We want to teach them and let them know that these are women they can talk to, can be their mentors who have broken that barrier, and who have gone before them," Sanogueira said.
Her mentor was an older, male engineer who took her "under his wings."
As a child, Sanogueira wasn't so much fascinated by planes, but by math. She planned to enter college as a math major. However, she won a scholarship to an engineering school, which altered her career path.
She recalled only about 2 percent of the students in her major were women. She was the only woman in her graduating class for engineering. Sanogueira later earned a master's degree in Systems Engineering.
Tammy Mothis, of Somers, brought her daughter, Sarah, 9, to the event. She works in product safety at UTC.
"Engineers are the true evolutionaries of our time. They moved society around the planet forward," Mothis said. "I wanted to her to exposed to that type of thoughts and mindset."
Mothis tries to be an example for her daughter, using opportunities like Girls in Aviation to have Sarah think more broadly about education and careers.
She also realizes the aviation workforce is aging and entering retirement, opening opportunities for everyone - regardless of gender.
Sarah said her mother taught her that few women work in the industry. She will consider following her mother into aerospace, but for now, she wanted to make crafts and learn about flight.
"It was really fun and girls have power," Sarah said.