Girls’ dreams of pursuing careers in aviation take flight at Royal Aviation Museum event

Posted on September 21, 2024 by Peggy

An air combat systems officer with the Royal Canadian Air Force spent the day Saturday helping young girls in Winnipeg discover that pursuing a career in the field of aviation and aerospace is possible for them.

“As a kid, I didn’t have those role models in aviation,” said Lt.-Col. Geneviève Dussault, the commanding officer of 402 City of Winnipeg Squadron, during the Girls in Aviation Day event, held Saturday at the Royal Aviation Museum of Western Canada.

“I am so passionate about my job. I love what I do, and being able to give that passion to some young girls is great.”

Dussault said she was looking forward to answering questions about what it feels like to fly a plane or how she became interested in aviation.

The event gave up to 200 girls — from ages eight to 17 — the opportunity to engage with pilots, engineers and aviation professionals.

A wide shot of a museum featuring airplanes. A group of people hover near a plane on the right. — Saturday’s event gave girls from ages eight to 17 the opportunity to engage with pilots, engineers and aviation professionals, and see a range of planes up close. (Trevor Brine/CBC)

“I finally figured out something that really kind of, like, inspires me and gives me hope for my future,” 12-year-old Wynne Cunningham said.

She’s interested in the study of airplanes and wants to become a pilot. Aviation runs in the family — her dad does maintenance with the Royal Canadian Air Force and inspires her, she said.

“He’s just able to work with people to get these giant metal tubes to get up to fly in the air — one of the most impressive creations of mankind.”

Gladness Jeje and her friend Nefe Martins, both 10, were excited to see the various planes at the museum.

Gladness thought becoming a pilot would be tough, but Nefe felt like she might be ready to take it on.

“I believe I could do it,” she said. “I was really excited because I want to see realistic planes.”

A young girl helps her friend buckle an oxygen mask worn by pilots during flight. — Gladness Jeje, 10, helps her friend Nefe Martins, also 10, try on some gear. (Trevor Brine/CBC)

Girls at the event were able to get suited up in uniforms to get a better idea at what it would be like to fly, in addition to touring the planes and listening to presentations at different stations that let them learn more about the military, STARS air ambulance and the air cadets.

Dussault said she hopes events like Saturday’s can open the door to careers in aviation for girls simply by raising awareness about them.

“You can’t explore something if you don’t know it exists for you and it’s available,” she said.

“I want the young girls to say that, ‘This could be something that I could see myself doing in the future.'”

After a career in aviation that has spanned 28 years, she says there’s still nothing that compares to being in the air.

“There’s no better day at the office [than] when you’re up there,” she said. “It’s like freedom.”