WBW Aviation Event Draws Potential Female Pilots of the Future

Sep. 24—FORTY FORT — The number of women in key aviation positions is minute compared to the number of men, but efforts are underway to change that — globally, nationally and locally.

"Women make up less than 10% of the pilot population. There's only 5% female airline pilots and only 1% female airline captains. And so, clearly, there's a shortage of women in aviation," Molly Van Scoy said at the third annual Girls in Aviation Day at the Wyoming Valley Airport on Saturday.

"Our goal through this is to educate these young girls that aviation is possible as a career, as a hobby, as a passion," said Van Scoy, who serves as president of the Northeastern Pennsylvania Chapter of Women in Aviation International.

The international organization, which began Girls in Aviation events eight years ago, has more than 140 chapters globally, and all of them observed Girls in Aviation Day on Saturday, Van Scoy said.

Sixty girls, ages 6 to 15, broke into groups and rotated between six activity sessions in two tracks — ages 6-12 and ages 13-15 — at the airport in Forty Fort. Session topics included air traffic control, Civil Air Patrol, aircraft maintenance, flight simulation, aircraft marshalling and building an airport.

They learned from experts. For example, air traffic controllers from the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton International Airport staffed the air traffic control session.

"They're all hands-on activities. They learn a little bit about each, like what an air traffic controller does, the aspects of an airport including runways, taxiways, the differences. ... Taxiways have yellow paint, runways have white paint, any airport you go to. Runways have white lights, taxiways have blue lights, that's how we know where we're going in every airport," Van Scoy said.

She's happy to make the airport available for the event.

"I've been flying since I was 13, my mom is an airline captain, I'm an airline first officer, my brother's an airline first officer as well, and my family operates the airport. So, I grew up, essentially, around the airport. I feel responsible, having all these resources, to share them with our local community," Van Scoy said.

The event is growing in popularity. The Women in Aviation local chapter was able to increase the number of available participant slots by 20% this year thanks to an increased number of volunteers, and the free event still sold out before the pre-registration period ended.

"A lot of the times, they walk into the airport and they may not see another female in uniform, being that there's not many of us. So, I think having an event like today, it allows them the opportunity to come to the airport, be around aviation, around aircraft, and potentially consider it in their future someday," Van Scoy said.

Girls in Aviation Day certainly has had that effect on Sarah Piasecki, 11, of Duryea. She was interested in aviation for as long as she could remember, attended for the first time in 2022 and decided to come back this year.

"I just really liked being here. It's really fun. I liked all the activities we used to do," Piasecki said, adding, "I really want to be a pilot."

Piasecki most enjoyed the flight simulator and air marshalling sessions, she said.

Alex Atherholt, 10, of Shavertown, said she has attended Girls in Aviation Day since the inaugural event at the airport in 2021.

"Before I started going, my mom mentioned it to me and I was like, OK, I'll try it and see if I like it. And then, two years later, back again. And the reason is because it's so fun. It's like a mix of Air Force science and Air Force stuff and fun, and this place really makes you want to fly. I know it makes me want to," Atherholt said, adding that she wished the event occurred more often.

While there are not any plans to hold similar events multiple times a year locally, Girls in Aviation Day might grow next year.

"Hopefully 60 slots is what we'll have again next year," Van Scoy said. "But, depending on volunteers, we may up it to 75."

Contact the writer:

[email protected] 570-821-2110, @MocarskyCV

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