On February 25th through February 27th, 2010, the Women in Aviation International organization held their 21st annual conference; over 3,000 women and men gathered at Disney’s Coronado Springs Resort to celebrate the 2010 WAI Conference theme, “Aviation – It’s a Small World.”  Developed in 1990, Women in Aviation, International is a nonprofit organization dedicated to the encouragement and advancement of women throughout aviation career sectors and interests.

 

WAI’s year-round assistance provides networking, education, mentoring, and scholarship opportunities for all who seek careers in the aviation and aerospace industries, both women and men.  Additionally, WAI strives to promote public education on historical contributions of women within the aviation industry.  Looking towards the future, WAI remains fiercely dedicated to the further advancement of women in aviation. The organization’s 8,000+ membership includes a wide-range of industry representatives including astronauts, corporate pilots, maintenance technicians, air traffic controllers, flight attendants, air show performers, educators and students; through this extensive international membership network, WAI offers a diverse base for both personal and career development opportunities, particularly for women within the industry.

 

In an effort to optimize these networking opportunities, Women in Aviation, International began annual WAI conferences, holding the first gathering in 1990.  Now, twenty years later, the WAI conferences remain a crucial hub for both career advancement and education.  Each year, WAI conference attendees partake in general information sessions, seminars, and educational forums.  Visitors are able to receive face-to-face interaction with more than 200 industry representatives offering both employment and educational opportunities.  In celebration, Aero-TV spoke with some of the nearly 3,000 conference attendees to get their perspectives on the advancement of women in aviation and how the WAI organization continues to support that advancement.  In the first part of the three-part series, conference attendees discussed why they chose a career in aviation.

 

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