Girls Fly Day is an annual volunteer-run event that provides free flights for girls and young women who have never flown in a small aircraft before! The goal is to inspire women to consider becoming involved in aviation and to encourage them to pursue careers in aviation. This event is intended to improve the gender imbalance by introducing the joy of flying to girls and women who may never have this opportunity otherwise.
Hosted by the Eastern Ontario Chapter of the Ninety-Nines, this event creates a unique opportunity for participants to experience aviation firsthand, connect with passionate pilots, and explore potential pathways in the aerospace industry.
Participant Sign Up for Girls Fly Day 2026 - registration opens 15 May!
Call for Volunteers for Girls Fly Day 2026!
Girls Fly Day is coming up on Saturday, June 6 (rain date Sunday, June 7), and we need volunteers! Positions are available for ground positions and for pilots flying their own or rented aircraft.
Sign up using the following form by May 6:
https://forms.gle/o1hm67XCe9oBzQu2A
Note for pilots flying their own aircraft:
The Canada Aviation and Space Museum (CASM) requires that pilots with their own aircraft provide a certificate of insurance that includes Ingenium Canada and CASM as additional insured with a waiver of subrogation. This is an administrative step that can be accomplished by contacting your insurance company. If the insurance company wants to charge an administrative fee for this, you can explain to them what this event is about and that it is for a good cause, and they should waive the fee (this was the experience of pilots who already went through the process). Please send your certificate of insurance to GirlsFlyDayOttawa@eoc99s.ca by May 9.
Girls Fly Day takes flight in Ottawa - 6 September 2025
"Aviation is about passion. It's there for the exhilaration at full throttle as the plane starts rolling on take-off, it's there during the struggles, it's there during that first solo flight, it's the smile that lasts for hours, it's there while we impatiently wait for the skies to clear, the sense of accomplishment after the first "buttered" landing. And having the privilege to share this passion, to watch the smiles, and to hear the laughter, is a gift I'll treasure. Events like this are needed to create equal opportunities for everyone to experience the passion of aviation." -Simon Kardynal, volunteer pilot for Girls Fly Day 2025.
On Saturday, September 6, 2025, the Eastern Ontario Chapter of the 99s hosted a Girls Fly Day in Ottawa at the Canada Aviation and Space Museum. 129 participants were taken to the air in small aircraft, many for the first time, thanks to the dedication of more than 50 volunteers and the support of the Eastern Ontario Chapter of the Ninety-Nines (EOC 99s).
In total there were 66 flights in 14 aircraft, flown by 16 pilots. But it was the enthusiasm of the participants that was the best part, with wide-eyed smiles at the check-in desk, laughter on the ramp, and awe inside the cabin as the wheels left the ground.
For nine-year-old Maggie Woolcot, the experience was unforgettable. “It looks so cool,” she said from the air. “This is my favourite day so far!” Her mother, Elizabeth Mavor, added, “She can do anything she wants. And this is the type of event that shows she can do anything she wants.”
Not every passenger was a young girl, but all of them loved the experience. Carol Rondeau had not been in a plane in decades, and for her, Girls Fly Day ticked a box on a bucket list. “It was awesome,” she said. “Just being above everything and looking down. It’s awesome.”
Organized by the Eastern Ontario Chapter of the 99s, the event had been run several times before the pandemic, but had been on a pause for several years. Several volunteers from the chapter spoke of how meaningful it was to watch participants discover flight. “It was delightful to see so many young girls light up with the opportunity to go flying and equally as impressive to see so many people support their interest,” said Claire Maxwell, who ran a station to educate participants on basic aerodynamics. “Girls Fly Day was a huge success and I’m so happy that I could play a part in it.”
Volunteer Sowmya Lokesh, a pilot who assisted with boarding of passengers, echoed that sense of reward: “To see the big smiles on their faces when they returned was very rewarding. Girls and their moms who I knew kept thanking me even a week after the event for making them aware of such an opportunity. Those who missed out can’t wait to take part next time.”
Many of the girls and young women had a chance to try the controls once airborne. Some were tentative at first, worried about making a mistake but the volunteer pilots explained the various controls and showed how stable the aircraft are in level flight. Within seconds, their confidence increased and they were amazed at how they could pilot the aircraft themselves.
For volunteer pilot Sharon Lee Bechthold, the day brought back memories. “To see the look of awe and excitement in the young girls’ faces filled my heart and brought me back in time to when I first flew out of Rockcliffe in the 60s with my father. Their joy reminded me of how very lucky I am to have the privilege to fly. I loved every minute of this fabulous opportunity. Can’t wait for next year!”
Volunteer pilot Scott Frost had a similar perspective. “It was very rewarding to see the smiling faces and the joy that this event brought to all of the participants. When I was a teenager I benefited from the opportunity to fly through the Air Cadet program. That sparked the love of aviation for me and led to a lengthy career as a pilot in the RCAF. Events such as these will help ignite that same spark for young women and open up opportunities they may not have realized were available.”
EOC 99s lead organizer Kathy Fox underlined why this matters. “Only four per cent of pilots worldwide are women. We find that the earlier we can give them the experience of flying, the more likely they are to consider it as a potential career,” she said. Kathy guided months of planning that culminated in a seamless day of first flights and future career dreams.
The event enjoyed strong support from the aviation community. The Canada Aviation and Space Museum hosted the event in the perfect setting among their extensive collection of aircraft, while AvJet provided a fuel credit, RFC sponsored food and drinks, NAV CANADA contributed a generous donation and staffed an information booth, and Porter Airlines donated a pair of flight vouchers for a silent auction to benefit women in aviation programs. Pilots from the Ottawa area volunteered their time and aircraft to fly the participants, and the Precision Marshalling team from Vintage Wings made sure the flow of aircraft was safe.
Kathy Fox organized a post-event debrief session with many of the volunteers, and a lot of constructive feedback was shared. These suggestions can be incorporated into future Girls Fly Day event planning so that everything is a bit smoother and more enjoyable for everyone! There’s still a bit more administrative work to wrap up, including updating the event checklists and writing some reports. EOC 99 Jimena Garcia, who helped raise more than $3000 in donations to support the event, has been busy sending out heartfelt thank you notes to the sponsors and reports on how the funding was used.
Everyone is already excited about planning the next event in 2026! Volunteer pilot and EOC 99 Sharron Lutman summed it up well saying, “It was an honour for me to be able to share the gift of flight with so many special young girls and women. They amazed me by showing up with aviator sunglasses, having practiced in a flight simulator and even more importantly overcoming their fear of heights and the unknown. They all left with a spark that lit us all up!”
Our next "Girls Fly Day" event is planned for June 6, 2026! Please follow our social media for more details. Registration opens May 15, 2026.