When Victoria moved from Michigan to Maryland, in 2010, the town of Frederick did not hold a welcome parade; I even bet that few people took notice of this bubbly red hair newcomer. But someone important had just arrived. She was about to change the face of the Frederick Airport community for ever.
Victoria is natural-born achiever. I am not saying that everything falls on her laps; I am saying that when she set her mind up to conquer a goal, no obstacles are big enough to stop her. She wanted to be a commercial pilot. Despite repeated medical and financial challenges, today, she is a commercial pilot.
Frederick Airport was in for a surprise when she heard about the Women Of Aviation Worldwide Fly-It-Forward challenge. She did not want to just participate; she wanted her new home airport, Frederick, to win the “Most Female Pilot Friendly Airport Worldwide” title.
She knew that previous title holders had introduced as many as 173 girls and women to flying in just one day and that the challenge was sizable. That did not stop her. She rallied 22 pilots and an army of volunteers from various aviation associations, enrolled her employer, Aviation Insurance Resources, as a sponsor, arranged for the military to fly in, and advertised the event.
But, would girls and women come to the airport in sufficient number to meet the challenge?
Did they ever? They were lining up long before the event began. When it was all over, 185 girls and women had discovered that not only flying is really fun and something that they could do but also that the aviation community is caring and welcoming.
“This was a wonderful event. I never realized how much fun it could be flying in a small plane. It’s so much different than flying on a commercial airline. It’s opened up a whole new world that I hadn’t considered before,” said Diane, one of the lucky first time flyers.
While she had planned to empower the girls and women of her community, she did not envision that she would empower herself. “I used to think that I had to get all my ratings and become a successful professional pilot before I could make a difference in aviation. I have recently learned, however, that I can make an impact regardless of my piloting title,” she said after the event.
An avid social media practitioner, a blog writer, and podcast participant, she is also a soon-to-be flight instructor and engaged to marry in 2012 to well… a pilot off course.
2012? Ready, set, go. On March 10, 2012, “girls” will be the majority at the Frederick Airport again. Check out her promo video below and then register, today!