Fly It Forward This Week

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The sixth annual “Fly It Forward Challenge” is underway this week, calling on pilots around the world to take a non-pilot woman or girl on a short flight to introduce her to general aviation. “Salute the girls and women in your life that inspired you and/or supported you,” say the event organizers at the Institute for Women of Aviation Worldwide. Out of more than 1 million pilots in the world, only 50,000 are females, the group says. The Fly It Forward Challenge aims to address this imbalance by inviting girls and women to visit airports and other industry facilities to see for themselves what it’s all about and to learn about career opportunities.

Any female introduced to flight during the Challenge can enter to win a scholarship aimed to get them to first solo, valued at $2,495. This year, the event is honoring “100 Years of Women in Combat,” noting that Marie Marvingt (1875-1963), of France, was the first woman to fly an aircraft in military combat, in 1915. To salute the women who have served and thank those who are serving today, pilots participating in the challenge invite female military personnel and their daughters to go for a flight. For more information about offering a free flight, visit the group’s website.

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