Rocky Mountain College Hosting Free ‘Girls in Aviation Day’ at the Airport

According to data compiled by Pilot Institute, under 10% (9.57%) of all FAA-certified pilots in the United States are women, based on 2022 data. In recent years, female student pilots have climbed nearly 50%, from around 22,000 in 2018 to over 42,000 in 2022.

While this news is encouraging, the industry is still predominantly male. Guys make up over 90% of all commercial pilots, and the US military has just 1,700 female pilots, a meager 8% of its pilot roster.

One fun, free event in Billings this weekend aims to generate interest and answer questions from school-aged girls in southcentral Montana who might be interested in pursuing an aviation career.

2nd annual Girls in Aviation Day, Oct 19 in Billings.

Hosted by Rocky Mountain College at Beacon Air Group's hangar facility at Billings Logan International Airport (2390 Overlook Drive), the daylong event is open for students in grades 2 through 12 (ages 8 to 18).

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The aviation outreach aims to "introduce and inspire young girls to pursue a career in STEM/Aviation" with a fun day that includes: lectures from female aviators, a plane competition for the participating attendees, a Billings Clinic aircraft display, an RMC plane display, and aviation arts and crafts.

Space is limited, register now.

While the event is free, pre-registration is required. The sessions are broken down into five age groups, with a limit of 10 in each group. You can register your student HERE.

Regarding RMC's aviation program, the university notes,

We are one of only about 35 colleges and universities accredited by the Aviation Accreditation Board International (AABI), which confirms the quality of our entire program. Also, the FAA recently changed the requirements to be hired as a first officer at an airline. Graduates from many schools now will need 1,500 total flight hours, while RMC graduates fall into the top category of schools where graduates only need 1,000 hours.

Find out more about Rocky's aviation majors and minors HERE.