Home page

Text size

E-mail this page

SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE
There's a shortage of women in aviation and one female pilot is aiming to try and expose more girls to the possibilities of careers in the industry.

Kirsten Brazier, pilot and organizer of the Yellowknife Girls Fly Too community event, is hoping that this year's event will be even bigger and more successful than in 2012.

"Last year, the event was so successful we earned the Most Female-Pilot-Friendly Airport Worldwide trophy," said Brazier, who has been in the aviation industry for more than 20 years flying fixed-wing airplanes and helicopters.

"Yellowknife had the biggest event last year and there were 22 airports competing worldwide," she said.

The Yellowknife event had a total of 1,500 people who showed up either to register for a free flight or to check out the display of planes and helicopters. The second largest event had around 240 participants, said Brazier.

The latest event, scheduled for March 9, is part of the annual Women of Aviation Worldwide Week celebration and is designed to show girls and women opportunities in the aviation industry.

Only about two per cent of aircraft mechanics, six per cent of aircraft pilots and less than 12 per cent of aeronautical engineers are women.

"Considering the length of time the aviation industry has been around, it's amazing the numbers are so low," said Brazier.

The free flights - 10-minute helicopter rides around Yellowknife - are one way to engage people, said Brazier.

"If it's not welcoming, women aren't likely to check it out. The flights awaken something in people. That openness is an aspect of aviation that's missing," she said.

This year, Brazier is hoping to double the size of the event, especially now that there is more competition for the trophy.

"Airline companies rotate crews and staff from the south but girls are an untapped resource. There's a huge population that no one ever mentions," said Brazier.

While Brazier said no one is anticipating changing the world with just one event, the community involvement goes a long way to spreading the word.

Ideally, Brazier would love to see networking and job shadowing opportunities for girls and women interested in the aviation industry.

The job shadowing and take-a-girl-to-work initiatives could help the industry long term, said Brazier, pushing awareness past just one day of the year.

"We're trying to send a message. Here's Yellowknife, we're on the map now and we're women friendly. I'm rallying the community members in Yellowknife to come out and help us break the record," said Brazier.

We welcome your opinions. Click here to e-mail a letter to the editor.