Business & Tech
Women of Aviation Week Hits Cruising Altitude
Ladies and their daughters are free to roam around the San Carlos Airport and take a "discovery" flight around the Peninsula, during Women of Aviation Week.
Only six percent of all the pilots in the country are women, said Menlo Park resident Ana Uribe-Ruiz.
This needs to change; more women need to be in the pilot’s seat, she said.
The Menlo Park mom often cruises through the clouds over the Peninsula with her family on planes that depart from the San Carlos Airport.
She wanted to bring the joy of flight to other mothers, so she organized an event that is an opportunity for girls and women to learn about all facets of aviation from female pilots.
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“The goal is to empower women to go and do something a little different,” Uribe-Ruiz said.
“I hope that these girls can be part of the new movement, the new generation of pilots,” she said.
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Women of Aviation Week took off Monday morning and will be cruising in a flight pattern around the San Carlos Airport through March 10. Similar celebrations are taking place in seven countries. Aviators in 19 states across the country are also participating. The celebration at the San Carlos Airport is the only one in California.
The most uplifting event of the week could be the free “discovery” flights for potential pilots. Girls and women can take a free ride in a plane to get a birds-eye view of the bay. About 180 have reserved a seat on a flight so far, said Uribe-Ruiz.
You can register to take a flight by visiting this site.
Other events this week include a tour of the air traffic control tower and a keynote address by Graciela Tiscareño-Sato, who is a former US. Air Force captain and aviator. She will be sharing stories about her time as a flight crewmember on a KC-135, which is an aircraft upon which jets refuel.
Events begin every day at 10 a.m. and end at 3 p.m., except for the ones taking place on Sunday. Those start at 9 a.m. and end at 4p.m.
For more information about the celebration, visit this website.
Also on San Carlos and Belmont Patch:
- Citizens Raise Concerns About Ralston Avenue Safety
- Belmont's Top Home Sale of the Week
- Dine and Dash Suspect Nabbed in San Carlos
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