Something you don’t see everyday: the entire crew and passengers on a flight’s manifest were the same gender — female.
That’s exactly what happened Sunday, when Delta celebrated Girls in Aviation Day.
Part of its fifth annual Women Inspiring our Next Generation (WING) Flight, the flight took 120 girls ages 12 to 18 from Salt Lake City to NASA in Houston. Delta says the program is part of its work to close the gender gap in aviation.
Delta’s WING Flight started in 2015 as an effort to not only diversify the male-dominated industry of piloting, but also an attempt to expose girls to STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) careers at a young age, according to a Delta news release.
.@nmoralesnbc took part in an incredible experience aimed at inspiring girls to pursue careers in aviation and aerospace.
She joined Delta and 120 girls on the fifth annual “WING” flight with an all-female flight team on the ground and in the air! pic.twitter.com/sP7FAFpveX
— TODAY (@TODAYshow) October 7, 2019
“We know representation matters. At Delta, we believe you have to see it to be it,” said Beth Poole, general manager of pilot development. “We’re taking ownership to improve gender diversity by exposing girls at a young age and providing a pipeline so that 10 years from now, they will be the pilots in the Delta cockpit inspiring generations of women to follow.”
The flight from Salt Lake City was the first for many of the girls, the company said.
In Houston, the girls “experienced the worlds of flight and human space exploration.”
Highlighted by a tour of NASA’s Mission Control Center and lunch with Jeannette Epps, a NASA astronaut and aerospace engineer, they also met with women who are working in other areas of aviation dominated by males including a female technician from Delta’s Technical Operations team.
Delta also celebrated International Girls in Aviation Day in Madrid featuring pilots and aircraft technicians from the U.S. and Spain.
