Women in Aviation International (WAI) wrapped up its first virtual conference late last week, hosting more than 2,300 attendees from around the world, handing out 101 scholarships totaling $475,805, and staging an online exhibit hall featuring 105 separate organizations and companies. While set for March 11 and 12, the virtual sessions will remain online through March 31 and an extended scholarship program is accepting applications through May 18 for another 48 valued at $256,000.
The 32nd edition of its International Women in Aviation conference contained the same content as the planned in-person event, including keynote speakers and exhibitors, seven education session tracks, professional development seminars and workshops, scholarship awards, and the Pioneer Hall of Fame induction ceremony, noted WAI CEO Allison McKay.
“Our strength is in the celebration of so many like-minded women who come together to share their passion for aviation and aerospace, and we successfully delivered that opportunity this week at WAI2021,” McKay said. “From a NASA astronaut, top-level women executives, engineers, pilots of all levels right through young students, and all aerospace professions, we are united in a desire to help one another and further our careers and personal lives.”
The events covered a range of topics from airworthiness to transitioning from the military and the future of electric flight. A point of emphasis in several of the sessions centered on how to bring more diversity to the workforce, given females make up only 5 percent of the pilot population. General session keynote Hélène Gagnon, CAE's senior v-p of public affairs, global communications, and corporate social responsibility, discussed how her company surveyed its pilots and found that most female pilots were introduced to aviation at an early age and many a turned away because they don’t see as many other females in the community. As a result, CAE now invests about $1 million a year to provide full scholarships for women. She also discussed the importance of networking to help women build careers.
"Our industry is significantly smaller than it was at the beginning of 2020, and any gains we made in creating a more diverse workforce have been impacted by industry-wide furloughs and layoffs,” McKay added. “We have the opportunity to rebuild our industry with the diversity that was lacking before the pandemic.”
As far as networking, the WAI chapter network reached 147 chapters in 22 countries worldwide during the event. The conference featured active live chats with coffee socials and sessions for students and young professionals.
As in past conferences, WAI held an induction into the International Pioneer Hall of Fame. Inducted this year were Boeing’s Joan Robinson-Berry, Maj. Gen. Carol Timmons (retired), and the U.S. Marine Corps’ First Class of Women Aviators, a group representing the first women to go through pilot and naval flight officer training in the U.S. Marine Corps.
Following the conference, WAI held a virtual Girls in Aviation Day Reno on March 13 and this brought in 1,800 registrants from 16 countries.
Next year’s International Women in Aviation Conference is scheduled to return as an in-person event from March 17 to 19, 2022, at the Gaylord Opryland Resort in Nashville, Tennessee.
