Liberty students, staff inspire the next generation of female pilots at annual Girls in Aviation Day

Liberty University School of Aeronautics students and staff participated in the annual Girls in Aviation Day at the Samaritan’s Purse Airlift Response Center in Greensboro, N.C., on Sept. 19, inviting girls and young women to explore the world of aviation.

The event was one of several being held around the world for Women in Aviation International’s 12th Girls in Aviation Day. The Greensboro site featured 23 exhibitors, including collegiate flight programs, commercial airlines, local flight schools, missionary aviation programs, representatives from the FAA, and more, offering girls aged 8-18 a glimpse into potential career paths in aviation. Ten airplanes were on display for attendees to explore, including a new Boeing 767 used by Samaritan’s Purse for humanitarian relief missions and to deliver Operation Christmas Child boxes.

The School of Aeronautics’ Liberty Belles female flight teams were showcased. The teams finished first and third in the 49th Air Race Classic, a historic cross-country competition for women of all ages, backgrounds, and professions, held in late June.

Erin Stewart, senior flight instructor and flight ops special programs coordinator for the School of Aeronautics, participated in a panel discussion with women from different sectors of the aviation field.

“It was really cool to get to travel down there with our Air Race (Classic) teams and for us as a group to have a way to give back to the community and to show younger girls what it can look like to become a pilot,” Stewart said. “When I was in middle school and high school, I had a lot of people who poured into me and fostered my love of aviation and flying, so it was really special to be able to do that and to see the excitement of a lot of these younger girls and teens for what lies ahead of them.”

Nine School of Aeronautics students and instructors attended the event, including Moriah Langford, a senior copilot of the Liberty Belles I first-place team.

“It’s cool to see the next generation of aviators come up behind us,” Langford said. “I’m still pretty new to the field myself, but aviation is such a small community and the people in it, especially the older generations, want to pass the torch down. It’s really encouraging to be a part of something that feels bigger than just my career.”

Jim “Vech” Vechery, director of Samaritan’s Purse’s mission aviation services in Greensboro, said he appreciated seeing Liberty students and instructors attend the event.

“(Events like this) continue to enhance the partnership that Samaritan’s Purse and Liberty University enjoy,” he said. “Anytime we can find opportunities to connect and spread the Gospel, that’s what we’re all about.”