Girl Scouts from across Southwest Florida explored the world of aviation last Saturday, climbing into airplane cockpits, learning aircraft marshalling signals and hearing firsthand from female pilots and paramedics during Girls in Aviation Day at Naples Airport.
The event was part of a collaboration between the Naples Airport Authority and Girl Scouts of Gulfcoast Florida. The event aimed to inspire girls and young women to future careers in aviation through hands-on experiences.
“We’re so happy to be able to localize [Girls in Aviation Day] here at the Naples Airport and hopefully encourage and inspire some of these girls and young women about careers in aviation,” Brad Fagan, director of community relations for Naples Airport Authority, said.
Girls in Aviation Day was launched in 2015 by Women in Aviation International. The day is a global initiative to introduce youth to aviation and potential career paths, including opportunities as pilots, air traffic controllers, avionics technicians, aerospace engineers, aircraft mechanics and safety officers.
Cristina Jones has been flying for 10 years and pilots a 1962 Piper PA-28 Cherokee, a single-engine light aircraft. She serves as the vice president of the newly established Women in Aviation Chapter Naples and is eager to pass on her passion for aviation.
“It’s a great event to show girls that women can fly,” Jones said. “I learned to fly when I was 42. I’m very grateful I found aviation, and I have the means to keep doing it. I want to pass it on because there were women along the road who helped me keep flying.”
The event provided the opportunity for the Girl Scouts to interact directly with aviation professionals and experience elements of flying and airport operations that they might otherwise see only from a distance.
Girls in Aviation Day is celebrated around the world to encourage young women to explore aviation and aerospace while connecting them with women already working in the industry.
Through events like the one at Naples Airport, participants can see firsthand the variety of opportunities available and learn that aviation careers are within reach.
“Whether it be maybe being a pilot or an avionics technician or maybe an engineer, they’re getting the sense of talking to people who are doing that professionally now and kind of what it takes,” Fagan said. “We’re just hoping to spark their imagination and hope that they have fun.”
Support provided by the Franklin R. Edwards Memorial Fellowship.
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