Greater Delaware Valley ‘Girls in Aviation Day’ with highlighted STEM and aviation outreach program

In its fifth year as a corporate host and partner, Signature Flight Support has joined Women in Aviation International chapters and corporate members globally as a title sponsor for Girls in Aviation Day (GIAD) Greater Delaware Valley - an outreach event organized by nonprofit, Aviation Influence, Inc. in collaboration with NEXTGEN Aviators by Dynamic Aviation at the Signature private aviation hangar at Atlantic City International Airport. This event aligns with the South Jersey focus on bringing more aerospace opportunities to the region. GIAD aims to inspire the next generation of females in aviation. Nearly 1,000 guests are expected to attend.

Hundreds of young ladies and their parents/guardians are already registered as of today, National Aviation Day, for the upcoming ‘Girls in Aviation Day’ (GIAD) Greater Delaware Valley event on September 10. Female attendees will have a chance to interact, learn from and engage with keynote speaker, Samantha Anderson, Miss United States. An active pilot in flight training, Samantha was born into an aviation family, having the bug to fly at an early age. More recently, her platform through pageantry is ‘Women in Aviation,’ a fitting focus for the very event she will engage with girls ages 5-18. Samantha will arrive on a historic vintage C-47 Douglas aircraft, owned by Dynamic Aviation, and an active member of the D-Day Squadron and DC-3 Society. Her name: Miss Virginia. Miss Virginia is based at Bridgewater airport (VBW) and shares a hangar with multiple vintage aircraft of flying history, to include a Beech 18, “Amelia” and President Eisenhower’s Columbine II, the first aircraft to go by the call sign, Air Force One, currently under restoration as part of their living history fleet. 

Samantha Anderson, 2021 Miss United States, commented: "As the daughter and god-daughter of international pilots, I was practically born with wings. At two weeks old I took my first flight. At three months I had my first passport. I have always enjoyed flying and travel and thrilled that my year as Miss United States has been one of advocacy and opportunity. I am so excited to carry on my family's aviation legacy as a member of the NEXTGEN Aviators team and cannot wait to see how our collaboration with Girls in Aviation Day will inspire diversity within aviation.”

Joining Samantha aboard the aircraft are her colleagues with NEXTGEN Aviators by Dynamic Aviation, highlighting the event’s STEM outreach programming. NEXTGEN Aviators provides a three-hour aviation experience to youth, introducing them to technical jobs including aerospace engineering, parts fabrication and assembly, electronics and avionics, and flight. 

“I am very proud to be part of this year’s Girls in Aviation Day program and to share NEXTGEN Aviators. We understood early in our program that it was going to take a coalition of like-minded people to make a difference in helping to solve the diversity gap in the aviation workforce and to help fill the future talent pipeline,” shared Shane Combs, director of partner relations and marketing for NEXTGEN Aviators. “That’s why we are excited to partner with Aviation Influence to highlight some of careers that exist in the skilled trades side of aviation and aerospace for these future female aviators.”

The event aims to address the aviation workforce shortage by introducing young women to careers in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) and their role in aviation. It will take place at Signature’s private aviation terminal at the Atlantic City Int’l Airport in Egg Harbor Township, New Jersey from 11:30am to 4:30pm on Saturday, September 10, 2022. With nearly 1,000 young women and their chaperones expected to attend, visitors will enjoy static displays, fly drones, participate in STEM and aviation exhibits, and meet and engage with a diverse group of professionals in this space. Attendees serving in Girl Scouts of USA will also earn the new Girl Scout Aviation Girl Fun Patch. 

“Signature Flight Support’s infrastructure at ACY provides us an equipped space to bring our best for these young ladies,” shared Lyndse Costabile, sponsor of the event and co-founder of the event’s organizer, Aviation Influence, Inc. “Seeing all the excitement in attendees thus far reminds us we are impacting so many people to see STEM/aviation as an option for our youth of tomorrow.” 

As a corporate host, Signature Flight Support is joined by other industry organizations, including the Federal Aviation Administration, NJ Wing Civil Air Patrol, McGuire Air Force Base, Leonardo Company, U.S. Coast Guard, Unmanned Safety Institute, American Water, NARTP, Boeing, National Business Aviation Association, American Airlines, Camden Youth Aviation Academy, Aviation Institute of Maintenance, AviationManuals, Drone, ACY Airport, VMD Corp, Atlantic Cape Community College, BFD Systems, and more! 

Stacy Suazo, General Manager of Signature Atlantic City, said: “My team and I are excited to host GIAD again this year. As one of many female managers working for the world’s largest general aviation ground handling company, we are strong advocates of sharing the excitement and passion of aviation by introducing young women to our industry.”

Girls in grades K-12 are encouraged to attend. Additional information including logistics and registration information can be found by visiting GIAD2022.AviationInfluence.org