Girls interested in flying can learn about future careers at a special event later this month.

The Quad Cities International Airport, along with John Deere and Elliott Aviation, are hosting their third annual Girls in Aviation Day, a Women in Aviation International event on Saturday, September 23, from 10 a.m. – 2 p.m. Girls 5 years old and up are welcome to attend this day of activities and exploration. Women representing a variety of careers in aviation will be on hand to talk about their educational and career paths. The airport is located at 3200 69th Avenue (Cargo) in Moline

This event aims to introducing girls to all the careers possible in STEM and aviation. According to a 2019 WAI workforce report, less than 10% of pilots, maintenance technicians and airline executives are women. With commercial air travel experiencing unprecedented staffing shortages, it’s critical to diversify the industry so it will thrive.

Participants at Girls in Aviation Day include:

  • Elliott Aviation
  • John Deere Aviation
  • Revv Aviation
  • ABLEd
  • WomenREACH
  • Quad Cities International Airport
  • Quad Cities International Airport Public Safety
  • QCIA Airport Services LLC
  • Civil Air Patrol
  • U.S. Air Force
  • Iowa State University
  • Iowa Lakes Community College
  • Department of Homeland Security
  • Envoy Air
  • UNIFI Aviation
  • EAA Chapter 75
  • Quad Cities Aero
  • FAA Air Traffic Control
  • National Weather Service – Quad Cities
  • CMT

Captain Latifa Gaisi of the Army National Guard and Envoy Airlines will be the keynote speaker and will give her presentation at 12 p.m. She enlisted in the New York Army National Guard in 2008 as a military police officer. In 2010 she was deployed to Iraq, where she rode in the back of a UH-60 Blackhawk for the first time and found her new career. In 2011, Gaisi began US Army flight school, where she trained to fly the UH-60 Blackhawk and graduated in 2013. After graduating from Army Flight School, she worked as an airline pilot. She was hired as a First Officer by Air Wisconsin in 2015 and flew the CRJ-200. She was hired by Envoy Air in 2016, where she is currently serves as an Embraer 175 captain. Gaisi has been hired by American Airlines and plans to begin training this fall. She is also still active in the Army National Guard as a C-26 Pilot and has risen to the rank of CW3.

Registration is required and information can be found by scanning the QR code below.