Aviation Day takes wing

By Justin Seward - Lethbridge Herald on May 28, 2024.

While there weren’t airplanes taking off constantly, there was plenty of aviation education on the ground to be had during the inaugural Aviation Day at Lethbridge Airport on Saturday.
The event featured a career fair, static aircraft displays, guest speakers, networking opportunities and food trucks.
The theme this year was Women in Aviation.
“It’s a day about bringing awareness to women in aviation, women in trades and the needs within the aviation industry for skilled labour,” said Anthony Kish, an event organizer.
Kish agreed the talents of women are under-utilized in aviation.
“I believe the last one that I saw was less than one per cent of the aviation industry in Canada is female, and so bringing that awareness and bringing that ability to open up that door in events like this will help the people that don’t think they can,” said Kish.
The Girls in Aviation Day booth was fielding questions.
“The curiosity is definitely there,” said Stephanie Hodson, Girls in Aviation Day organizer.
Kish was asked about the different aircraft partners coming together.
“That just shows the need,” said Kish.
“The need between every business and every aspect of it from accountants all the way to trades and skilled labour and professionals. When everybody thinks aviation, they think pilots and flight attendants but really before the hangar doors open, there’s so much that actually happens before that people don’t know about and that’s what this is about.”
Young 11-year-old Nikita Wagner has been interested in planes his whole life.
“Just the way they work,” said Wagner.
“I like physics, aerodynamics and stuff like that because I find it interesting. Because if I get older, I might want to take a career in avionics.”
Attendees could learn about how to get into aviation with things such as getting their pilots license to learning from people who have their certifications and the steps to take in hopes of landing their life job.

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