Fewer than 10% of licensed pilots are women and the percentage of women in maintenance fields is in the single digits.”

FAA Women in Aviation Advisory Board

Culture change starting with our youth

Currently, only 2.6% of licensed aviation maintainers identify as female, a statistic even lower in general aviation. Although strides have been made in improving representation, progress remains sluggish.

Women Build Planes Mission

Habitat for Aviation is promoting gender and equity in aviation through apprenticeship opportunities that are anchored in relationships, relevance, and practice in an inclusive, welcoming environment where girls and women come to know themselves and become deeply known by supportive female aviation professionals.

Our mission is urgent in view of the fact that less than 3% of airplane maintenance technicians are women, and research shows visible industry role models at young ages help cement career aspirations.

Through Habitat for Aviation’s Women Build Planes program, young women and gender-expansive individuals have the chance to see themselves in the aviation industry and be connected with supportive adults working in the field to rescript the narrative about these exciting career paths.

Women In Aviation Advisory Board (WIAAB) Recommendations Report

Honoring the women who came before us - “We can do it too!”

Remembering and paying homage to our WWII sisters from the Women Air force Service Pilots (WASPs) and all they had to endure to free up male pilots for war. WASPs transported every type of military aircraft, towed targets for live anti-aircraft gun practice, simulated missions, and transported cargo.

Modern-day Rosies

For the past 80 years the Rosie the Riveter image symbolized strong women who build planes. Habitat for Aviation’s Modern-Day Rosies will pull the strength and determination from the past and carry it through to the future, until we reach parity with men in the field.

We’re doing it differently

Our apprenticeship training program is different from existing approaches in that it combines hands-on aircraft construction with mentorship, enrichment activities, and a strong focus on building a sense of community and belonging.

Unlike conventional aviation education programs, which are dominated by males and rarely, if ever, happen at an airport with working airplanes that will be returned to service, Habitat for Aviation has a project-based learning approach that is grounded in career-connected learning and offers a holistic focus on skill-building, self-discovery, and empowerment.

The home of Women Plane Builders got our first airplane kit

1,000 hours build time.

Our Rans S-21 kit arrived and it was all hands on deck at Habitat for Aviation. Our youth and adults worked side-by-side inventorying and the thousands of airplane kit pieces. What normally takes an average of 20 hours to complete, we had all the plane parts accounted for and sorted in a single Sunday.

Our group is serious and has committed to coming to the hangar nearly every Sunday, some of their school vacation days, and during the summer to work on our airplane build.

Once our plane is built, we’ll fly to major airshows and achieve maximum visibility

We’ll also host fun open hangar events

Youth can come and see the plane and have an EAA Young Eagle flight. We’ll hand out aviation themed promotional items and facilitate activities.

With high visibility in the air and a strong presence on the ground, we intend to showcase our Rans S-21 as a proven example of the world’s first All Women Team Plane Build.

AirVenture: With 677,000 total attendees watching the 10,000 aircraft fly in at a rate of 148 take-off/landings per hour, our airplane is bound to turn heads she lands and makes her way to her special location with one of our affiliated organizations. A week of targeted programming for girls and gender-expansive youth alongside our Women Build Planes team will surely inspire individuals who come with an interest in aviation to Oshkosh, Wisconsin.

Sun ’N Fun: Our plane will grace this season opener with over 200,000 visitors and 500 exhibitors in Lakeland, Florida’s spring airshow. With another week of programming our Women Build Planes team will connect with visitors of all ages.

Activities & programming at fly-in events

Hands-on activities and 1:1 conversations with Women Build Planes team members to generate excitement and encourage the sense of possibility.

Maybe I could be her…

Hands-on activities, like soldering wires into a beaded-keychain charm with a message of empowerment like “Do Everything” will draw families. Youth and adults alike will not only experience tasks that airplane builders engage with in a creative, personalized way, they will leave with a handmade treasure and tons of photos that inspire.

By seeing, conversing, and interacting with Habitat for Aviation’s youth and adult team members and returning home with literature on the many pathways into aviation, more and more youth will walk away thinking, “Maybe I could be her!”

Learning through play!

At each of the fly-in events, the Habitat for Aviation booth will have dedicated space for individuals of all ages to play with all sorts of toys and activities to pique imaginations and call to mind a world where women are equally represented in the aviation industry.