During Women of Aviation Worldwide Week 2013, Frederick Municipal Airport earned their third trophy as they again earned the ‘Most Female Pilot Friendly Airport in the United States’ award.
CONTACT: Susan Harding, Public Information Officer, 301-600-1385
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Friday, April 5, 2013
Frederick Municipal Airport Most Female Friendly for the 3rd Year
Frederick, MD - During Women of Aviation Worldwide Week 2013, Frederick Municipal Airport earned their third trophy as they again earned the ‘Most Female Pilot Friendly Airport in the United States’ award. Working together, pilots and volunteers provided free flights to 342 girls and women throughout the week with 261 of those flights took place on Saturday, March 9th.
Frederick Municipal Airport has been hosting the Women Fly it Forward event as part of the worldwide week since its inception in 2011. This year, 70 events were held on 4 continents during the week and Frederick Municipal Airport earned 4th place worldwide.
The 2013 theme was "Women and Space", celebrating 50 years since the first women astronaut, Valentina Tereshkova of Russia, traveled into space.
After hearing about Women Fly it Forward, one young participant, Ellen and her mom drove 5 hours from New Jersey to arrive at the start of the Saturday event. Ellen wore her astronaut costume that she bought on a trip to the Kennedy Space Center. During that trip, Ellen asked her mother why there were so few women astronauts. It was an extra special day for her when she had the opportunity to talk with woman astronaut, Colonel Pam Melroy at the Frederick event. Ellen later enjoyed time playing in the Traveling Space Museum exhibits and went up for her first flight in a small airplane. Her mother later wrote about what an impact the event made on their lives.
Also impacted were those who volunteered on the ground and in the air. Eva and her friend Nina flew from New York to participate. While Nina flew, Eva helped guide girls to their flights. “You have changed my life by giving me the chance to participate and to help bring so much joy to others! Thank You!” wrote Eva.
Stories such as this were told throughout the globe.
"I am continuously impressed with the community at this airport and how they eagerly take on the challenge of introducing women to aviation," says event organizer, Victoria Zajko, "I look forward to seeing how they outdo this event next year.”
Mayor Randy McClement said, “This event is a wonderful opportunity to open the world of aviation to women of all ages and The City of Frederick looks forward to a continued partnership with Women Fly It Forward. Frederick Municipal Airport is an integral part of our community and I want to thank Kevin Daugherty, Airport Manager of the Frederick Municipal Airport, for his excellent management and care of our airport and for working closely with the pilots, businesses and the organizations that utilize the facilities.”
Zajko is also the US Team Leader for Women of Aviation Week and helped coordinate 23 other events around the country. This was her third and final year organizing the Frederick event.
"I know Women Fly it Forward will continue to be a huge success. It is time for me to focus on helping to make other events in the US as successful as ours in Frederick," Zajko stated.
Women Fly it Forward will return to Frederick during the week of March 8th, 2014.
More Information
Women of Aviation Worldwide Week, held annually during the week of March 8, aims to foster diversity in aviation by celebrating history, raising awareness, and sparking vocations as thousands of girls and women are introduced to aviation through industry-wide collaboration.
The Fly It Forward Challenge is part of this initiative and Frederick has been participating since 2011. More information on Frederick’s Event can be found online at WomenFlyItForward.com or email us at WomenFlyitForward@gmail.com. You can follow Women Fly it Forward on Facebook at Facebook.com/WomenFlyItForward and on Twitter @WomenFlyForward.
The 2013 Women Fly it Forward video can be viewed at: http://youtu.be/ZBQndI8diMQ
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