LIFT Off 2021 – Girls in Aviation Day

This year we hosted LIFT Off – Females Who Fly, a Girls in Aviation Day event in person in our hangar in Indianapolis! We were so excited to be able to offer an in-person experience to our attendees after our second annual event went virtual in 2020 due to COVID-19 restrictions!  

The day began with keynote speaker, Republic Airways First Officer Brittany Danko. Brittany shared her story, talking about what got her into aviation and what her path to becoming a pilot looked like, expanding on the different obstacles she overcame to get to where she is today. Brittany also reflected on her mega following on TikTok and how she built a personal professional brand on social media. After Brittany finished, she met with the attendees for small group Q&A. Attendees also met numerous female LIFT students and AMTs as they discussed their thoughts about Brittany’s journey. 

The attendees also had the opportunity to visit three different stations: our Diamond flight simulator, how to pre-flight a plane and a hands-on creative activity. They each sat in our Diamond Aircraft Industries DA-40 flight simulator getting first-hand experience flying a plane – with the help of some of our great female CFIs and student pilots. When pre-flighting the plane, they learned the steps it takes to prepare the planes for flight and how our AMTs work to keep the planes in great condition. They were also able to ask questions about the aircraft, getting expert advice and insight from some of our best and brightest students and instructors! During the creative portion of the day, the girls were given journals with a prompt to write about their ten-year vision along with time to make a bracelet, keychain or phone charm and signed our LIFT Off – Females Who Fly banner! 

We ended the day with a career panel featuring Megan Carrico (Director of Communications, Indianapolis Airport Authority), Jenifer Edwards (Manager of Strategic Planning, Republic Airways), Sandra Patiño (Manager of Accounting, Republic Airways), Lindsay Maynard (Pilot, Republic Airways) and Ashley Watkins (Inflight Base Supervisor, Republic Airways), talking about their experiences in the aviation industry. The attendees asked questions and learned about what it is like to work in aviation!

Did you miss this year’s event? Don’t worry, we will be hosting LIFT Off – Females Who Fly next year at our hangar on September 24, 2022! See you then!