NCWV Aviation Community To Host Its First-Ever ‘Girls in Aviation Day’

Sep. 13—BRIDGEPORT — Companies and educators from across North Central West Virginia's $1.1 billion aviation sector will come together Sept. 24 to host "Girls in Aviation Day."

The event takes place at the Pierpont Community & Technical College's National Aerospace Education Center, at 1050 East Benedum Industrial Dr. in Bridgeport from 10 a.n. to 2 p.m.

There will be a variety of hands-on activities available, as well as opportunities to meet people representing some of the many different careers in the aviation industry.

The event is being spearheaded by the Mid-Atlantic Aerospace Complex, an economic development agency, whose sole focus is growing the aviation sector in NCWV. For years, the agency's president, Tracy Miller, has worked to bring diversity to this male-dominated field.

"The only way we're going to get more diversity and more young girls interested in these jobs ... is you've got to see it to believe it. You've got to see pictures of girls in any job so that if they are to open their first book or whatever their first encounter is with aviation, if all they've seen is someone that looks white and male, it doesn't even cross their mind that that aviation job might be a possibility for them," Miller said in an interview with the Times West Virginian.

Guests will get to operate flight simulators, see static displays of aircraft, sit in a dress-up aviation photo booth, play with drones drones and more. There will be fun giveaways and one person will win a free Discovery Flight. The first 250 girls in attendance will receive swag bags sponsored by the participating entities.

Participating businesses include the North Central West Virginia Airport, Aurora Flight Sciences — A Boeing Company, MHIRJ Aviation, Pratt Whitney, The Thrasher Group, EMS, EASW, HQ Aero, Civil Air Patrol, Katherine Johnson NASA IV&V Education Resource Center, Fairmont State University, Pierpont Community and Technical College, WV National Guard, West Virginia University and others.

Along with the hands-on activities, guests will have opportunities to meet people from some of the many different careers in the aviation industry.

Girls in Aviation Day was started by the Women in Aviation International organization in 2015 and is celebrated annually on Sept. 24 by thousands across the globe. This will be the first year that an associated event is being held in North Central West Virginia.

Women in Aviation International is a nonprofit organization that encourages the advancement of women in all aviation career fields and interests. WAI began in 1990 and was formally established in 1994 as a nonprofit organization.

Readers are asked to 'like' the event's Facebook page for updates.

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