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Women and girls take to the sunny skies in Abbotsford all weekend with free flights

The Sky’s No Limit - Girls Fly Too event offers free flights to help expand interest in aviation
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The Sky’s No Limit - Girls Fly Too is a two-day event at Abbotsford International Airport, April 29 and 30, from 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. It includes free flights for women and girls of all ages, static displays and more. (John Morrow/Abbotsford News)

Women and girls are taking to the skies all weekend out of Abbotsford International Airport.

The annual Sky’s No Limit - Girls Fly Too event drew in huge crowds on Saturday and runs again all through Sunday, offering women and girls free flights in small aircraft, including helicopters.

The free flights are reserved for those who have never flown in a small aircraft before, as a way to attract more women into the aviation and aerospace. Despite the many opportunities available in these high-tech fields, the female demographic is still very under-represented.

Only six per cent of the professional pilot population are women in the United States and Canada, and that number has stayed consistent in the past 25 years.

In Canada, only 2.3 per cent of licensed aircraft maintenance engineers are women.

The event began as a small aviation event in Yellowknife in 2012, and has grown into the world’s largest outreach event of its kind.

Parking is free at the entrance to the airport off King Road in Abbotsford. There is no cost to attend the event, but expect wait times.

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The Sky’s No Limit - Girls Fly Too is a two-day event at Abbotsford International Airport, April 29 and 30, from 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. It includes free flights for women and girls of all ages, static displays and more. (John Morrow/Abbotsford News)
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The Sky’s No Limit - Girls Fly Too is a two-day event at Abbotsford International Airport, April 29 and 30, from 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. It includes free flights for women and girls of all ages, static displays and more. (John Morrow/Abbotsford News)
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The Sky’s No Limit - Girls Fly Too is a two-day event at Abbotsford International Airport, April 29 and 30, from 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. It includes free flights for women and girls of all ages, static displays and more. (John Morrow/Abbotsford News)
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The Sky’s No Limit - Girls Fly Too is a two-day event at Abbotsford International Airport, April 29 and 30, from 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. It includes free flights for women and girls of all ages, static displays and more. (John Morrow/Abbotsford News)
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The Sky’s No Limit - Girls Fly Too is a two-day event at Abbotsford International Airport, April 29 and 30, from 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. It includes free flights for women and girls of all ages, static displays and more. (John Morrow/Abbotsford News)
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The Sky’s No Limit - Girls Fly Too is a two-day event at Abbotsford International Airport, April 29 and 30, from 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. It includes free flights for women and girls of all ages, static displays and more. (John Morrow/Abbotsford News)
32573867_web1_230430-ABB-GirlsFlyTooCoverage-morrow_1
The Sky’s No Limit - Girls Fly Too is a two-day event at Abbotsford International Airport, April 29 and 30, from 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. It includes free flights for women and girls of all ages, static displays and more. (John Morrow/Abbotsford News)


Jessica Peters

About the Author: Jessica Peters

I began my career in 1999, covering communities across the Fraser Valley ever since.
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