Learning to soar: Event aimed at inspiring girls to fly

Thousands ofgirls experienced the joy of flying at the Abbotsford International Airport this weekendat an annual event aimed at inspiringgirls to pursue aviation careers.

The event beganfive years ago when a female pilot, Kirsten Brazier, founded, The Sky's No Limit,Girls Fly Too!

InCanada, only 5.5 per cent of professional pilots are women, Brazier said, adding thestatistics are similar for technical positions in the military and on ships.

• B.C. pilot on mission to inspire girls to fly

TheAbbotsford event, which took place Saturday and Sunday,is aimed at changing those figures.Itoffers free flights to girls and womenwho are first-time flyers.

Eleven-year-old Caroline Bizzotto was impressed.

"I think it would be pretty cool flying something," said Bizotto, as she checked out a search and rescue Buffalo aircraft. "I want to be a pilot."

However, Brazier saidthe low percentage of women in aviation has notimproved in recent years.

"In my 24 years of flying I've often been the only female pilot for thousands of miles, and in the first 15 years I could count on one hand the number of female airline mechanics," she said.

Canada's new Defence Minister Harjeet Sajjanwas at the event with his daughter.

"It's not the nice thing to do, it's the right thing to do," Sajjan said. "We're missing out on opportunities."