# Women of Aviation Worldwide Week

Women Of Aviation Worldwide Week {WOAW} is a global aviation awareness week for girls of all ages observed to mark the anniversary of the world’s first female pilot licence (March 8, 1910). The week is a call to address gender imbalance in the air and space industry. It is not country or group specific
Since March 2010, Women Of Aviation Worldwide Week's activities have been organized in 52 countries on 5 continents. 420,000 women and girls attended the Week's local hands-on activities. 69,768 women and girls experienced their first flight in a small aircraft in response to the Week's Fly It Forward® call to action.

## History

In January 2010, Mireille Goyer, an airline-rated pilot and aviation educator, launched an international grassroots initiative to celebrate the centennial of the first female pilot license worldwide earned by Raymonde de Laroche on March 8, 1910.
Her Fly It Forward® call to action encouraged pilots from around the world to introduce record numbers of girls of any age to aviation during, what was then dubbed, "Women Pilots' Week". In 2011, the one-time celebration evolved into the annual "Women Of Aviation Worldwide Week".
By addressing the female population's lack of exposure to aviation activities, Goyer's Fly It Forward® initiative aims to fulfill the dream of the pioneering women pilots of 1910, namely to see women participate in all aspects of aviation.
On September 10, 2012, Mireille Goyer founded the Institute for Women Of Aviation Worldwide (iWOAW), a not-for-profit global industry alliance. It organizes The Week's various contests and tracks The Week's activities in addition to managing other initiatives that facilitate women's integration in the industry around the year. Led by a gender-balanced, all-volunteer, Board of Directors, iWOAW's mission is to foster gender balance in the air and space industry through outreach, education, and advocacy.

## Activities and observances

Female-centric activities take place at airports and aerodromes around the world as well as in museums and aerospace businesses. Special commemoration flights are often conducted.
iWOAW organizes multiple challenges and contests during the week. The best known challenge, Fly It Forward®, rewards top performers with awards including "Most Female Friendly Airport Worldwide", "Most Female Friendly Community Worldwide", "Most Female Friendly Corporation Worldwide", "Most Dedicated Female Pilot Worldwide", and "Most Supportive Male Pilot Worldwide".

## Theme

Each year, a theme based on a global historical female breakthrough in the air and space industry highlights a specific sector of the industry.
List of themes (2010-2018)
* 2010 – 100 years of licensed female pilots (world’s first female pilot license – Raymonde de Laroche, France)
* 2011 – 100 years of female air racers (world first women to enter an air race – Hélène Dutrieu, Belgium
* 2012 – 100 years of female seaplane pilots (world’s first seaplane pilot – Hélène Dutrieu, Belgium)
* 2013 – 50 years of women in space (world's first female astronaut – Valentina Tereshkova, Russia)
* 2014 – 100 years of female aerobatic pilots (world's first female aerobatic pilot – Lydia Zvereva, Russia)
* 2015 – 100 years of female pilots in combat (world's first woman to fly in combat – Marie Marvingt, France)
* 2016 – 60 years of female bush pilots (world's first female bush pilot – Ada Rogato, Brazil)
* 2017 – 80 years of female helicopter pilots (world's first female helicopter pilot – Hanna Reitsch, Germany)
* 2018 - 65 years of supersonic women (world's first woman to fly at the speed of sound - Jacqueline Cochran, USA)

## List of Fly It Forward® Award Winners

| Year | Year | Most Female Pilot Friendly Airport Worldwide | Most Dedicated Female Pilot Worldwide | Most Supportive Male Pilot Worldwide |
| 2010 |
| 2010 | Winner | Oshawa, ON Canada | Amanda Sargent, Renton, WA United States | Andrei Floroiu, New York, NY United States |
| 2010 | First Finalist | Renton, WA United States | Allie Dunnington, Bristol United Kingdom | Peter Morton, Renton, WA United States |
| 2010 | Second Finalist | Kpong Field Ghana | Lesley Page, Oshawa, ON Canada | Dick Smith, Renton, WA United States |
| 2011 |
| 2011 | Winner | Frederick, MD United States | Dianna Stanger, Port Lavaca, TX United States | Leith Barnhill, Arlington, WA United States |
| 2011 | First Finalist | Arlington, WA United States | Lin Caywood, Frederick, MD United States | Doug Raine, Oshawa, ON Canada |
| 2011 | Second Finalist | Port Lavaca, TX United States | Lesley Page, Oshawa, ON Canada | Hubert Wren, Peterborough, ON Canada |
| 2012 |
| 2012 | Winner | Yellowknife, NT Canada | Kirsten Brazier, Yellowknife, NT Canada | Derrick Robinson, Yellowknife, NT Canada |
| 2012 | First Finalist | Frederick, MD United States | Megan Tyler, Yellowknife, NT Canada | Robert Ferlisi, Yellowknife, NT Canada |
| 2012 | Second Finalist | Peterborough, ON Canada | Lesley Page, Oshawa, ON Canada | Hubert Wren, Peterborough, ON Canada Ron Haslam Peterborough, ON Canada |
| 2013 |
| 2013 | Winner | St Andrews, Winnipeg, MB, Canada | Kirsten Brazier, Yellowknife, NT Canada | Frank Roberts, St Andrews, Winnipeg, MB, Canada |
| 2013 | First Finalist | Yellowknife, NT, Canada | Megan Tyler, Yellowknife, NT Canada | Geoff Furniss, Yellowknife, NT Canada |
| 2013 | Second Finalist | Waterloo, ON, Canada | Dianna Stanger, Victoria, TX United States | Glen Sibbeston, Yellowknife, NT, Canada |
| 2014 |
| 2014 | Winner | Langley, BC, Canada | Dianna Stanger, Olivia, TX United States | Frank Walcher, Parksville, BC, Canada | Tom Keane, Victoria, TX, United States |
| 2014 | First Finalist | Victoria, TX, United States | Diana Jemson, Strathalbyn, SA Australia | George Tecklenborg, Abbotsford, BC Canada |
| 2014 | Second Finalist | Lachute, QC, Canada | Marguerite Varin, Lachute, QC Canada | Euan Harrison, Caloundra, QLD, Australia |
| 2015 |
| 2015 | Winner | Albuquerque, NM, United States | Dianna Stanger, Olivia, TX United States | Luc Bougie, Mascouche, QC, Canada | Matt Norgrove, Bathurst, NSW, Australia |
| 2015 | First Finalist | Lachute, QC, Canada | Ramona Cox, Torrance, CA United States | David Carroll | Gary Penglis Bathurst, NSW, Australia |
| 2015 | Second Finalist | Saint Andrews, MB, Canada | Diana Jemson, Strathalbyn, SA Australia | Bryan Clements | Chris Stott | Nick Wills Bathurst, NSW, Australia |
| 2016 |
| 2016 | Winner | Edinburg, TX, United States | Dianna Stanger, Olivia, TX United States | Yves Barbeau, Lachute, QC, Canada |
| 2016 | First Finalist | Lachute, QC, Canada | Yasmina Platt, Houston, TX United States | Hubert Wren, Peterborough, ON, Canada |
| 2016 | Second Finalist | Peterborough, ON, Canada | Ingrid Kutzner, Peterborough, ON Canada | Ron Haslam, Peterborough, ON, Canada |
| 2017 |
| 2017 | Winner | Albuquerque, NM, United States | Dianna Stanger, Olivia, TX United States | Sylvain Cantan, Bozas, Ardèche, France |
| 2017 | First Finalist | Lachute, QC, Canada | Bobbie Lind, Albuquerque, NM, United States | Yves Barbeau, Lachute, QC, Canada |
| 2017 | Second Finalist | Brampton, ON, Canada | Susan Larson, Albuquerque, NM, Canada | Bernard Chirol, Étables, Ardèche, France |