Photo: Delta

All-Female Delta Crew Flies 120 Girls to NASA Headquarters

News
by Eben Diskin Oct 11, 2019

Since we don’t typically see our pilots, it can be surprising to learn that only seven percent of pilots in the US are women. Perhaps even more surprising — there are zero female flight navigators. One initiative is looking to change that for the future.

To celebrate Girls in Aviation Day, Delta operated a flight staffed only by women crew members and carrying 120 young female passengers. The “WING” flight — Women Inspiring our Next Generation — took off this weekend from Salt Lake City to NASA headquarters in Houston to promote women in aviation as well as STEM (science, tech, education, and math) careers.

The passengers consisted mainly of girls between the ages of 12 and 18. One of them, a 12th-grader named Katelyn, said, “It didn’t seem realistic to go after a career in aviation. But today I realized, ‘Hey, I can do this too.’” Karyanna, an 11th-grader, said, “It’s such an exciting time to be in STEM. There’s so much left for us to discover.”

Upon arrival, the passengers toured NASA’s Mission Control Center, the Johnson Space Center, Space Center Houston, and spoke with leading female NASA engineers.

Not only did the flight have an all-female crew on board, but the flight also had women working on the ground as ramp agents, gate agents, and control tower operators.

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