A lot of people have been asking me the specifics on the event, like the number of planes, how many ground volunteers, how many women are registered, and so on. So I thought I would share a few of those tidbits with you tonight!
256 women are registered for free flights
26 women are on the waiting list (and growing!)
We have 28 volunteer pilots
8 female (we are working to change that, aren't we?)
20 male
15 ground volunteers (all pilots or student pilots!)
29 aircraft
1 hot air balloon
2 helicopters
26 fixed wing aircraft
6 display aircraft
9 aviation vendors/displays
Over 300 people expected for a day of fun at the airport!
Registration is closed for the Frederick Women Fly it Forward event! The excitement about has been overflowing, barely any publicity has been done but the news has been infectious! Registration is now closed for the March 10th event in Frederick, but a waiting list is now available. We have been getting many notes of thanks from participants and even a few messages along the lines of, "OMG I can't wait!" Either can I. I look forward to seeing you all on the 10th! Just 18 days to go!
The wait is over, Tailwinds Over Frederick received their new balloon this weekend, now the largest hot air balloon in all of Maryland! See below for the first inflation of Tailwinds from Saturday morning! Want to see more? Go "like" Tailwinds Over Frederick on their Facebook page and check out all the photos of the new balloon!
For the first time flyers: Due to overwhelming demand and excitement for the free flights,
registration will close Tuesday, February 21st. Those who register
after this date will be put on a waiting list and emailed when a slot
opens up in the order that registration was received. Please do not
hesitate to come to the event if the free flights are full, there is
still a lot to see and do on March 10th!
For the pilots: We
are also full for planes, thanks to all that have volunteered! If you
are still interested in flying this event, I would be happy to put you
on a "backup" list in case we need more pilots or someone backs out at
the last minute. Please let me know if you are interested, it would
probably work out best if you were based at or very near FDK. I could
use one more aircraft that can hold 6.
Wow! We just hit over 200 women registered for Women Fly it Forward on March 10th. Registration will be closing soon! So if you know a lady that would love this opportunity, have her sign up no later than this weekend! I will start a waiting list and notify ladies in order when a slot opens up. Also, some pilots have expressed interest in flying on other days during Women of Aviation Week. If you would like to do so, please tell me what days, times, and how many seats you have available and I will announce these for registration. Excitement is in the air and we can't wait to share the skies with all these brilliant ladies!
ATTENTION! Women Fly it Forward has an overwhelming amount of interest,
so much that I am going to have to cut off registration to free flight
participants and we still have several weeks to go! I would rather not
stop so many girls who are interested in flying, however, I am worried
about the congestion of aircraft at FDK. What I need to ensure that my
pilots don't get too tired flying all these girls and that this event
stays safe, is planes capable of flying 6+ individuals. If anyone has
or know of someone with an aircraft that would work for this event,
please contact me at womenflyitforward@gmail.com.
At a time when most women’s opportunities were often limited to
raising a family, a few adventurous women set off to demonstrate that
women were capable of achieving far more.
Today’s women are equally adventurous and passionate.
In December, we announce a video contest for American women. The
prize? An all expenses paid trip to represent the next generation of
American women pilots at the “Across the Channel: Women Unifying
Nations” event taking place simultaneously at the England’s Headcorn
Aerodrome and France’s Le Touquet Airport on March 10, 2012.
The videos were amazing and two finalists, Esther from Maryland and
Elizabeth from Florida, emerged. Then it was time to vote for the
winner. If doubts existed about how motivated the finalists were, there
are erased by the unbelievable website traffic that they generated by
encouraging people to vote for them.
After carefully reviewing all available statistics and ensuring that
nobody voted more than once, Esther French, a young journalist from
Silver Spring, MD, who discovered flying at last’s year record setting
“Fly It Forward” event at the Frederick Airport, MD, edged ahead of
Elizabeth Williamson, a TV production technician from Altamonte Springs,
FL.
We are therefore pleased to announce that Esther is the winner of the
video contest and will serve as the official representative for the
next generation of American women pilots at the event as well as the
American reporter at the event. You will be able to follow her
adventures by clicking on “Daily Trip Report” in this website.
More than 13,000 visitors trying to vote caused some technical issues
and a lot of frustrations. We did our best to maintain the integrity of
the contest in the face of adversity.
Taking into account this occurrence, we offered to our runner up,
Elizabeth, a choice of prizes: the flight lesson as listed in the
original prize description or accommodations during the event and a
flight across the channel during the “Across the Channel: Women Unifying
Nations” event on March 10. We are delighted to announce that Elizabeth
has chosen to travel to Europe and will take part of the event. Europe
will be delighted to welcome more American guests.
Flight Lesson Essay Contest sponsored by the Sugarloaf Chapter of the Ninety Nines
Women of Aviation Week Awards: The Most Female Pilot Friendly Airport Worldwide, Most Dedicated Female Pilot Worldwide, Most Supportive Male Pilot Worldwide, Most Dedicated Female Flight Instructor Worldwide, Most Supportive Male Flight Instructor Worldwide and The Spirit of Women of Aviation Worldwide
Random drawings for pilots, ground volunteers and participants
I have over 140 participants signed up for Fly it Forward so far, and there is still just over a month to go! My inbox has been bombarded, literally receiving an email every minute from a potential participant, sponsor or volunteer. So why are the number of pilots dwindling? Why are only 6% of them female? The interest is there. What do we have to do to make these numbers climb? Discuss below!
P.S. When I am done replying to all these emails I will take the time to give a more thorough Fly it Forward update! :)
The finalists are up for the Women of Aviation Week "Across the Channel: Women Unifying Nations" video contest! Go cast your vote now! The present women in the lead is Esther, who took her first small airplane flight at the Frederick Women Fly it Forward event last year!
"It was my
turn at last. Everybody was expectant. I was eager to get into my seat
and be off. My heart was not in my mouth. I felt impatient to realize
the project on which I was determined, despite the protest of my best
friends," said Harriet Quimby about her thoughts before she took off
from Dover, 100 years ago.
OUR TURN
The beginning of the 2012 Women Of Aviation Worldwide is just 30 days away.
From 62° of latitude North in Yellowknife, Canada, to 38° of latitude
South in Geelong, Australia, and within hundreds of degrees of
longitude, girls and women are about to discover that aviation is for
them too, thanks to you. There is so much excitement building. Victoria,
who is heading the Frederick Airport community and intends to make sure
that the Frederick Airport community retains the title of "Most Female
Pilot Friendly Airport Worldwide" in 2012 has managed to motivate over
130 girls and women to sign up for a flight. Other airport communities
have their eyes on the trophy and some very strong challengers are
emerging.
Of course,
all the over titles are also up for grab: Most Dedicated Woman Pilot,
Most Dedicated Female Flight Instructor, Most Supportive Male Pilot, and
Most Supportive Male Flight Instructor.
We have
more prizes than ever this year thanks to the support of our
pro-diversity sponsors, Airbus, Sennheiser, Goldstripes Aviation, AOPA,
Baron Services, Aircraft Spruce, OSRM, Powder Puff Pilot, Windtee, Barry
Schiff, FFPULM, and many more local sponsors.In
fact, the total value is well over $11,000 USD. Did you notice for
example that there are four Sennheiser S1 Digital headsets, worth $1,095
each, available to win? If you have not taken a look at the list of
prizes recently, please take a look now.
Many event
organizers have fund that local businesses are eager to help with the
cost of making a difference in the community and that's heartwarming.
CELEBRATE 100 YEARS
As Headcorn in the U.K. and Le Touquet in France
ready to hold a great celebration for the centennial of Harriet
Quimby's flight over the English Channel, pilots at 100 different
locations in the U.S.A are getting ready to join the party by introducing at least one girl or one woman to the joys of flying at 100 different airports on March 10, 2012.One flight is sufficient to qualify an airport. Take this opportunity to tour the various airports in your area.
To salute 100 years of women seaplane pilots, I encourage all seaplane pilots to be particularly active in 2012. How about a record of female flight introductions in seaplanes?
A SPECIAL GIFT TO EVENT ORGANIZERS FROM AIRBUS
Each pilot
that participate to the "Across the Nation: Women Unifying Nations" in
Europe will receive a unique t-shirt. Featuring photos of Harriet Quimby
before and after her flight across the Channel and the white cliffs of
Dover, this t-shirt cannot be bought. Our sponsor, Airbus, wants to
reward each event organizer with one of this exclusive "Across the
Channel: Women Unifying Nation" t-shirt.
To be eligible to receive this t-shirt, you must announce your upcoming event on the website by February 15, 2012.
WHO WILL REPRESENT THE NEXT GENERATION OF AMERICAN WOMEN PILOTS IN EUROPE? VOTE
The
finalists of the "Across the Channel: Women Unifying Nations" video
contest are announced. You have until February 7, 2012, midnight, to
vote for your preferred representative.
She will fly
to Europe on the largest and most comfortable airline jet in the world,
the Airbus A380, take the train to travel underneath the English
Channel, discover the region around the Headcorn Aerodrome, fly
from England to France on Harriet Quimby's footsteps, attend the dinner
in Le Touquet City Hall's room of Honors, and meet Women Of Aviation
from around the world.
TEMPORARY TATTOOS & WOAW CLOTHING GEAR
Have you noticed the temporary tattoos?
They guarantee fun at your event and give all the girls and women that
go on a flight to brag to the world about their experience. "I am a girl. Today I flew a small plane." What a statement!These can be free for VIP Club members. However, to have them in time for your event, you must request or order before Feb 15 2012.
We have a winner for the Women Of Aviation Worldwide Jacket! Alicia Sikes of Quakertown, PA is the winner.
T-shirts and
WOAW embroidered jackets are available but time is flying by. If you
want either one before Women Of Aviation Worldwide Week (March 5-11,
2012), don't wait.
Whether you
are planning one special flight or planning an event to celebrate the
2012 Women Of Aviation Worldwide Week, have fun!
