Hawaiian Airlines welcomes over 40 attendees to its Girls in Aviation Day
A highlight of the day was the flight attendants’ demonstration of how a life raft is used during an emergency water landing
Forty girls from Oʻahu, aged 12 to 17, attended the eighth annual Girls in Aviation Day at the Hawaiian Airlines’ Honolulu headquarters on Saturday. Locally organized by the Women in Aviation International (WAI) Aloha Chapter, sixty Hawaiian Airlines employees volunteered at the event.
“I think it’s important to the girls to see other women with careers in aviation. For me, I love being able to share my experience,” said Elouisa Oki, manager of engineering at Hawaiian Airlines in a recent blog post. “At the end of the day, we want them to know and believe that they can do anything if they set their heart to it. That’s the bottom line.”
Attendees tried out inflight safety demonstrations and had the chance to ask questions about flight attendants’ responsibilities inside an aircraft cabin mock-up used for training. Employee volunteers offered one-on-one mentorship throughout the day in many areas of expertise: from maintenance and engineering to pilots. One highlight was the flight attendants’ demonstration of how a life raft is used during an emergency water landing.
“Exposing Hawaiʻi’s youth to aviation early on is an extension of our company’s purpose and values,” shared event co-organizer Celinda LoBosco, manager of material planning and Women in Aviation Employee Resource Group (WIA ERG) member at Hawaiian Airlines. “We want to show our hoʻokipa (hospitality) and ensure that everyone – including the next generation – feels they have equal access to opportunities in the aviation industry.”
Members of the Scouts USA Kailua Girl Troop 311 and the Girl Scouts of Hawaiʻi also joined the events, according to the press release, which detailed how leveraging the day’s experiences could earn them a special aviation merit badge. To be successful and earn the honor, scouts had to identify and describe different aircraft types and explain the primary control surfaces used from takeoff to landing.
“The full flight simulator was quite a complete experience to earn their merit badge,” said Joelle Simonpietri, assistant scoutmaster for Troop 311. “We appreciated the opportunity from Women in Aviation International, and a big mahalo to Hawaiian Airlines’ Wahine in Aviation group for their generous hosting of our eager Scouts.”
Co-organizer LoBosco said she hopes to see some of the attendees again at Hawaiian Airlines in the future.
