Local flight school sponsors women’s aviation event

  • Published
  • By Ryan Stark
  • Nucleus writer
KIRTLAND AIR FORCE BASE, N.M. --  A local flight school spent several days and a lot of flight time introducing young women to flying as part of Women of Aviation Worldwide Week, March 2 through 8.

Del Sol Aviation -- across the airfield from the Kirtland and Air National Guard hangars -- invited girls, their mothers, grandmothers and sisters to experience flight in single-engine aircraft. They even offered helicopter flights.

This is the first year that Del Sol celebrated Women of Aviation Worldwide Week, an annual event that honors female aviators and introduces girls and their families to career possibilities in aviation.

Around 2,000 girls participated in the flights from Del Sol, according to general manager Richard Preston.

"This is all in recognition of the small percentage of female pilots," Preston said. "This is a real neat introduction to aviation careers for these young women and we're enthusiastic to be part of it."

In addition to flying, the girls met female pilots and learned what it takes to work in air traffic control, airplane mechanics, flight engineering and other jobs. It made for a well-rounded introduction to the field, Preston said.

Groups from several schools -- including Van Buren Middle School near Kirtland and Early College Academy, Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps groups, local Girl Scout troops and others came out to fly, according to Jasmine Gordon, the event organizer for Del Sol.

"They're getting to meet and fly with female pilots, they're hearing women on the radio from the tower and air traffic control, and they're getting excited and interested in aviation," she said.

The women ranged in age from 8 months old to 82, she said. The pilots volunteered their time, fuel and aircraft and Del Sol flew two of its aircraft as well.

Sofia DeSantiago was among the girls who came for a flight on Thursday.

"I'm just enthusiastic to get up there," DeSantiago said.

Her classmate, Naidelyn DeLeon, said she was also thrilled.

"Some of us have never even flown before," DeLeon said. "It's a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity."

For more about Women of Aviation Worldwide Week, visit www.womenofaviationweek.org. The website for Del Sol Aviation is www.delsolaviation.com.