Earlier this month an all-female aircrew from the Air Force flew to Canada to participate in an event aimed at teaching little girls about military aviation. The event, called "The Sky’s No Limit: Girls fly too" was hosted at Abbotsford International Airport in Canada.
Departing from Texas, the crew of the C-130J Super Hercules consisted of two pilots, two crew chiefs, two loadmasters, and one public affair officer since they were attending a public event.
Throughout the several-day event, parents and their daughters toured the C-130J and learned about the aircraft from the female crew. Visiting children got to strap into the pilot's seat and learn about the instruments and dials in the cockpit.
“I am extremely passionate about what I do as an aviator,” Airman 1st Class Lacey Thompson said of the event in an Army press release. “Seeing these kids reminds me how unique of an experience the Air Force is, and how much I love the C-130J model.”
The C-130J tours were part of a larger event aimed at getting young women and girls interested in STEM or science, technology, engineering, and mathematics as a future career.
The U.S. Air Force is currently seeking more women to be pilots but is struggling due to height and other body length standards and legacy aircraft that were designed with men in mind. Efforts are underway to see if those legacy aircraft can be updated and a study is being conducted to ensure that future airframes are designed to accommodate different body types.
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