Women in Flight at The Ohio State University

What is WIF? 

Women in Flight at The Ohio State University is a student organization dedicated to the encouragement and advancement of women in all aviation careers and interests. We are committed to providing networking, education, mentoring and scholarship opportunities for those of all genders striving for challenging and fulfilling careers in the aviation and aerospace industries.

What are we trying to fund?

Women in Flight is attending the Women in Aviation International (WAI) Conference in Savannah, GA in February 2027. We are trying to fund as many members as possible to attend this conference. We would love to be able to send more students because attending offers un-paralled professional opportunities for our members. Showing up also grows our club and university's reputation within the aviation community. 

Why do we want to attend this conference?

Attending WAI connects our members directly with flight training scholarships, industry recruiters, and professional networking. Peer flight programs across the country use this conference as a main hiring and internship pipeline; sending our members ensures our students have equal access to those exact same opportunities. 

In a male-dominated industry, it is also an incredibly empowering experience for female aviation students to attend a conference filled with thousands of fellow female aviators. Current statistics, as of 2026, indicate that only 5.5% of airline pilots are women. Similarly, women make up only 8.1% of military pilots, and 17% of air traffic controllers in the United States. Sending our students directly bridges the gender gap in the aviation industry.

We hope to be able to send members of our student organization to the WAI Conference free-of-charge (club pays for everything), that way we can make the trip and benefits of attending easily accessible for all. Sending members for free also lowers the barrier to entry for women in the industry to get job-offers and similar opportunities, directly supporting our mission of advancing women in aviation and aerospace. We hope to send 10 members to the conference this year, the total cost would be $6,000. 

What is "Girls & Youth at KOSU" Day?

Girls & Youth at KOSU Day is a youth outreach event that our organization hosts annually in the Spring semester. Additional funds we raise will go towards supporting this event. The event is held at The Ohio State University Airport (Don Scott Field) - which has the airport code KOSU. We open this event up to Girl Scouts, Boy Scouts, Civil Air Patrol, Youth Aviation Adventure, local kids sports teams, and other youth-focused groups in the local community in an attempt to encourage young girls to pursue careers in aviation or STEM fields. Girl Scout troops that attend can earn their "Aviation Badge" at this event. 

Over the years, we have hosted hundreds of families at this event. It is a lot of work to put on, and is an entirely student-led event. It has turned into an important event for the local Ohio aviation community, as we invite numerous aviation organizations nearby to participate, volunteer, and support us. Having funding for this event helps us to grow it year-by-year, and put on a higher-quality event. Additionally, it allows us to spread our passion for aviation to more young girls as additional funds help us better advertise and promote the event. Funds typically go towards activities for the girls, decorations, equipment rentals, and programming costs. This event supports our student organization's goals of encouraging women in all aviation careers and interests. 

What is the Air Race Classic?

In year's past, our organization has attended the Air Race Classic which is an all-female pilot cross-country racing event, typically over 2,200 miles long, and is an excellent opportunity for our members to get recognition within the industry. Members who participate in the event gain direct connections to airlines and potential future job opportunities from attending. We have been able to send members in the past, though it is a heavy financial burden and as such, have not sent anyone in the last 4 years. Our main goal for this 2026-27 school year is to send as many members as possible to the WAI Conference, though should funding allow, we would love to consider opening up this additional opportunity to our members in the future as well. 

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