Delta State WAI Promotes Aviation Careers

Two fall events hosted by the Women in Aviation International (WAI) Magnolia Chapter at Delta State University sought to provide insights into careers in aviation.

Girls in Aviation Day

By Helena Hall, Social Media Chair
WAI-Magnolia Chapter

On September 24, the Women in Aviation International (WAI) Magnolia Chapter at Delta State University celebrated Girls in Aviation Day (GIAD). We had 45 Girl Scouts come to DSU’S aviation facility to learn about our program and how the aviation world works. They participated in many STEM activities, followed by a tour of the airport with static display aircraft.

They were first given information about the program and some background on aviation. Then, they were divided into five activity groups, which consisted of flying the simulators, learning the fundamentals of flight with a remote-controlled (RC) plane, learning about the inner ear, coloring GIAD pages and learning about Newton’s second law of motion. Our facility has 10 simulators on which the girls got to learn how to take off and land and do some maneuvers. With the RC plane, they learned about lift, drag, weight and thrust. WAI members taught them about the inner ear and how illusions can happen when the liquid in the ear moves; we spun them around in a car then had them shoot a Nerf gun at a water bottle. With the GIAD coloring pages, we created a mural of their art in our building. Finally, we taught them about Newton’s second law, F=MA, by racing balloons across the building. We finished the day at the airport, where we had eight airplanes on the ramp and got a flyby of an agriculture plane. The girls took pictures with the planes and looked inside the flight decks.

We had an amazing time with these girls and loved teaching the future women in aviation! It was a fun way to teach them at a young age and open their eyes to a possible future career. We look forward to doing it again.

Inaugural Career Fair

By Thomas Holden, President
WAI-Magnolia Chapter

On Friday, September 30, the Magnolia Chapter of WAI hosted the first Aviation Career Fair at the Cleveland Municipal Airport. This Career Fair was an excellent opportunity for Commercial Aviation students to talk and network with potential employers.

A slew of companies and notable names in the aviation industry were invited. Attendees included John and Martha King of King Schools, FedEx, PlaneSense, Republic Airways, Solairus Aviation, Contour, SkyWest Airlines, PSA Airlines, Women in Corporate Aviation, Air Wisconsin Airlines, Endeavor Air, Madison Flyers, U.S. Air Force, U.S. Air Force ROTC, Greenville Mid-Delta Airport and the Bolivar County Volunteer Fire Department.

FedEx flew in a Cessna 208 from its feeder airline Baron Aviation; Madison Flyers flew its Cirrus SR20 and the Kings flew their Falcon 10 from California! Wayne-Sanderson Farms stopped by later in the day with its Gulfstream G280 and allowed people to look inside. Additionally, locally owned aircraft were used as static displays, including a King Air 90, Cessna 185, Piper Cub, Stearman, Air Tractor 502 and S2 Snow.

The keynote speakers started at 1 p.m. with introductions by Rebecca Parker, Assistant Professor of Practice and Magnolia Chapter Faculty Advisor; Joe Saia, DSU Department of Commercial Aviation Interim Chair and Dr. Andy Novobilski, DSU Provost and Vice-President of Academic Affairs. John and Martha King presented a short seminar on aviation safety and business sense. Afterward, attendees continued to network and admire the various aircraft. It was a great experience for everyone involved. The Career Fair went extremely well and received glowing reviews and positive feedback. Overall, it was a great success!