Time flies, especially for women and girls in Squamish at this annual free event.
Mark your calendars; as they do every year, the folks behind Glacier Air will be celebrating Women of Aviation World Wide Week with a Fly it Forward event on March 8, which is also International Women's Day.
The event celebrates the issuing of the world’s first pilot licence to a female, France's Raymonde de Laroche, on March 8, 1910.
Glacier Air is owned by Colette Morin, who is also the chief pilot, a certified flight instructor (CFI) and operations manager.
Each year, Glacier Air holds this event, offering free flights for girls and women who have never flown in a small aircraft before.
(Email [email protected] with your name, age, weight and phone number to fly. The event is weather-dependent, and space is limited.)
"This global event celebrates the accomplishments of women in the aviation industry and is intended to promote aviation awareness and introduce career opportunities for girls and women in the industry," reads a news release from Glacier Air.
"We are excited to work with the community to give the gift of flying for free to women and girls who have never been in a small aircraft before!"
In addition to the flights, there's a meet and greet with pilots as well as speakers to learn from. (There's usually an epic cake, too.)
Canadian women earned 12% of all pilot licences issued in 2023, according to the Institute for Women Of Aviation Worldwide (iWOAW).
From 2010 to 2023, the number of pilot licences issued to women grew by 79% in the commercial sector and 58% overall, iWOAW says.
