In the fall, 1999, The Eastern Ontario Chapter
and the National Aviation Museum embarked on an exciting project for
girls aged 9 to 14. The goal was to take 99 girls (one girl for
each of the original charter members of the 99s) in the National
Capital Region flying to spark their interest in aviation.
From Sept. 12th
to Nov. 8th, four pilots took 99 girls, aged 9 to 14, for a flight
in the Ottawa area. Other 99s provided ground support. Sponsorship
was obtained from Graham Fuels, The Ottawa Flying Club and The
Rockcliffe Flying Club.
Everyone involved in this project was impressed
by the positive response from the parents, girls, pilots, media and
members of the public in general. All were astonished by the flood
of calls from people wanting to register their daughters for the
program. From the beginning, parents only had good things to say
about this project.
Sunday, Sept. 12: The project kick-off at the
National Aviation Museum:
Dee Brasseur thrilled and inspired the 99 girls
(and their parents), encouraging them to pursue a life of learning.
(click to expand)
Above, the girls meeting their Pilot.
The girls spent a full day at the museum
attending a ground school to learn basic aviation concepts and had
numerous hands-on exercises and tours. They learned about the
properties of air, the controls of a Cessna, the phonetic alphabet,
visited a CF-100 cockpit, made paper gliders and many other
interesting things. The National Aviation Museum was well
represented by Lynda Smith, Tamara Zohar and Linda Brand, six
volunteers who worked the registration desk, and tour guides. As
usual, the Museum's organization of the event was superb. Chantal
Fortier spoke to the participants about possible careers in
aviation.
At the end of the day, pilots Susan Begg and
Kitty Houghton took to the air with some of the excited girls. The
first person out of Susan's aircraft announced "I love flying!".
Very positive feedback was expressed by parents, the girls, along
with the participating 99s who really enjoyed the experience.
Everyone is asking "Will you do this again! When?!"
CiCi Waugh (above), the main organizer for
the 99s, impressed everyone involved with her warmth and sense of
fun, combined with her organizational skills.
The actual flights took place starting late on
September 12th, and continuing until November 7th when all 99 girls
had taken to the air in airplanes piloted by the 99s. Four pilots
participated - Susan Begg, Dorothy Berthelet, Kathy Fox and Kitty
Houghton. Jane Tilley had planned to participate, but poor weather
caused scheduling problems. Other 99s helped out on the ground,
providing necessary support to ensure that safety and communication
was maintained.
The girls were mostly thrilled with the actual
flight. Many were amazed at how small and beautiful everything
looked. Many wanted to go up again! The girls were encouraged to
join the Air Cadets and to attend other educational programs at the
Museum. The Museum was ecstatic to have so many girls interested in
flying - in the past, very few girls have signed up for their
educational programs.
Some of the pilots and their passengers are
shown below:
Click to expand..
Above, Dorothy with some of the girls..
Above, Kitty..
Above, Sue..
Above, Kathy Fox with a very enthusiastic girl!
As a result of these successes, the Chapter
aims at repeating this process in the future. Sponsorship to help
with some of the costs will be sought.
The following organizations (alphabetical list)
helped to make this project a success: Graham Energy (Fuel), The
National Aviation Museum, The Ottawa Flying Club, and The Rockcliffe
Flying Club.
