Girls Take Flight: Mitchinson Flight Centre introduces young women to aviation

When Shawna Atkinson and Brooke Tower were little girls, they didn’t dream of becoming pilots.

Both women said they stumbled into the aviation industry as adults.

A newfound love of flying caused each of them to change course and set out on a new career path.

“It’s a fabulous career,” Atkinson said. “Your office is the big blue sky.”

The pair were part of a special event at Saskatoon’s Mitchinson Flight Centre on Saturday that aimed to introduce girls and young women to the world of aviation.

More than 150 girls aged eight to 18 registered to experience a free flight over the city of Saskatoon. (Brent Bosker/650 CKOM)

Atkinson is the centre’s assistant chief flight instructor. She said the first ever Girls Take Flight event in Saskatoon was designed to introduce young women to aviation and hopefully spark an early interest in the male-dominated field.

“Less than six per cent of the industry is made up of women,” she said.

Tower is a student pilot working toward her commercial license. She was the driving force behind the event, spending more than five months planning each and every detail of the day.

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More than 150 girls aged eight to 18 registered to experience a free flight over Saskatoon and learn more about aviation careers.

Although afternoon flights were grounded due to windy conditions, the flight centre issued rain checks to each registered girl, ensuring they will all still have the opportunity to fly in the near future.

People at the event had the opportunity to try out simulators, examine the exterior and interior of a handful of planes up close, and even sit in the pilot’s seat in the cockpit.

Families with kids of all ages were welcome to attend the event. Even children who were too young to go up in the sky were given the opportunity to sit in the cockpit of a plane. (Brittany Caffet/650 CKOM)

Tower and Atkinson said they’re hopeful that the event would leave girls and young women feeling that aviation is a realistic career aspiration, and let them have a moment of inspiration similar to what they both experienced.

Atkinson’s love for flying was sparked by a flight with Mitchinson’s Flight Centre.

“My kids bought me a discovery flight for my 40th birthday. I got in the plane and I was like ‘Man, how do I get this guy’s job?'” she laughed.

Tower said her first yearning for the sky came when she stumbled into a simulator at an event.

“I sat down and felt the controls, and it was a lightbulb,” she said. “I instantly knew this is what I wanted. Now two years later I’m here, making it happen.”

Girls of all ages attended the event. They explored the hanger, walked through planes, and some even tried their hand at flying with the use of a simulator. (Brittany Caffet/650 CKOM)

Atkinson said there is currently a huge demand for workers in all areas of the aviation industry.

“We all know there is a pilot shortage right now, so it’s a great time to start training,” she said.

Even if girls aren’t interested in becoming pilots, Tower said there are a variety of other career paths within the industry to explore.

“There are so many other opportunities within aviation as a whole, and we need women in all positions,” she said. “We can’t operate without controllers. We can’t operate without maintenance.”

The pair said they hope Girls Take Flight will become an annual event, and that with each passing year more and more girls of all ages will begin to dream of speeding down the runway, taking off, and soaring through that big blue sky.