Women in Aviation Week – March 3-9, 2025

History of Women in Aviation Week

Aviation history goes as far back as over 2,000 years. In the early days of aviation, kites, hot air balloons, and heavier-than-air jets were popular. Kite flying is alleged to be one of the first examples of man-made flight. During the nineteenth century, aeronautics was the rave. People used hot air balloons, airships, and gliders before the airplanes we know today.

By 1903, advancements had been made in aviation, and by December 12, the first Airplane, ‘Kitty Hawk,’ took flight for about 12 seconds at 37 meters. The Airplane was commandeered by the Wright brothers Orville and Wilbur in North Carolina. This event impacted the world of aviation, as decades later, new aircraft were created to aid transportation of people, goods, and services, and later on, space flight. Up until 1910, the Aviation Industry was considered a male-dominated industry. Gender discrimination was glaring, and women fought tooth and nail to prove their competence. Women have made significant contributions to the advancement of aviation, beginning with the first woman to fly a hot air balloon in 1754 and continuing with the first licensed female pilot in 1910.

The Women of Aviation Worldwide Week commemorate the licensing of the first female pilot as a first step in addressing gender discrimination in the industry. In 2010, a pilot and aviation instructor, Mireille Goyer, launched the ‘Fly it Forward’ initiative to encourage more pilots worldwide to introduce girls of all ages to aviation. Mireille used this initiative to address women’s lack of aviation activity exposure. With the Fly It Forward initiative, the goal is to see more women in all facets of aviation as hoped by pioneering female pilots. By 2011, this event evolved into Women’s Aviation Week.