‘Really opened my eyes’: Saskatoon hosts event to inspire next generation of female pilots

WATCH: The Mitchinson Flight Centre hosted its annual ‘Girls Take Flight’ event at YXE International Airport in Saskatoon on Saturday.

The Mitchinson Flight Centre hosted its annual ‘Girls Take Flight’ event at YXE International Airport in Saskatoon on Saturday, aiming to inspire young girls to pursue aviation careers.

“Less than seven per cent of pilots are female in North America. It’s about two per cent for maintenance and under 17 per cent for air traffic services. Plus, as a whole, we’re just missing a lot of women and underrepresented groups,” Sophia Wells, director of volunteers and mentorship with Elevation, said.

Girls Take Flight 2025 is the second installment of the event, providing free flights for girls ages eight to 18 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. The day aims to reach girls at an age when they begin to think about their future and show off the opportunities in aviation.

“From the research and studies, we’ve been a part of you learn that most of us are kind of already leaning towards our career paths in those younger ages. So, if you can get inspired and know that there are lots of options out there, you’re more likely to consider one in the flight path, for example,” Wells said.

Brooke Tower, the lead planner of the event, said the opportunity is one that she would have loved when she was younger.

“For most of us, because representation is so small, this was never on our radar growing up. We never saw women in the roles. We never pictured ourselves in those positions. So, if we can show this to them early on, they have longer to dream,” Tower said.

• Get the latest news from Saskatoon, sent directly to you: Download the CTV News App

The day was full of guest speakers, free discovery flight registration, and demonstrations. Hundreds of people showed up to take advantage of the opportunity.

“I wish that was me running around as a kid. You just see the joy on their faces, and that’s why we’re doing it. We’re spreading what we’re passionate about with those girls,” Tower said.

Those who stopped by the event also had the opportunity to learn more about the many different organizations that offer careers in aviation.

Wells discovered her interest at the age of 12 after the Air Cadet program.

“That really opened my eyes to a lot, but I actually thought it was only military people that were pilots. So, I would have loved to have an event like this where you could see all the different options,” Wells said.