Check out our Flight plan page!
For new events that GIFT is participating or hosting check the Flight plan page....Have an event and want us to participate or announce email us!
What we do!
Girls in Flight Training Academy provides the opportunity for women in any phase of their flight training to come together to further motivate their aviation training. We are not a traditional flight school, yet we saw a need to reach out to women interested in learning about flying or continuing that have felt either intimidated, fearful, frustrated and even the factor of being the only female in the room at a flight school. This week long clinic is to address these issues and further women in their aviation endeavors. Women pilots comprise of only 6% of the pilot population and this percentage has held steady for the last 100 years. Our goal is to identify and to address the various issues that may be causing women to abandon flight training, and to assist them earning their pilot certificates. We hope to create a network of peers, mentors, role models, and instructors to encourage women of all ages to pursue their goals in aviation and to overcome the obstacles that interfere with their flight training. It is our end goal to have other flight schools create their own GIFT academies across the country. While we can do little about universal issues like money and time, we can educate, and motivate more women to their goals. We do not provide scholarship funding, but we do help those with scholarships get the most training for their money.
Who we are!
This clinic was conceived by Mary Latimer. Mary and her husband, Lawrence, serve as the head instructors of this academy, and her daughter Tamara Griffith and even granddaughter Amanda Griffith serving as instructors with other instructors also volunteering their time and knowledge. Check out our Meet The Staff page. We recently gained AOPA's interest in our academy! We all instruct year round (Mary, Lawrence in Vernon, Tamara in Justin near DFW area) as well as have other flying or maintenance jobs we do. we held our first clinic in July of 2011. In 2013 we became an official 501.3c shorly after the success of the 2012 event. It is now determined that every year that the first week of November being the best fit based on weather, temperatures and other popular aviation venues.
What We Need
Wanted Instructors to volunteer their time a day, two days or the whole event, also need of an "Air boss" to help with scheduling students with instructors and aircraft. NEED! sponsors for our airplane that was recently donated to GIFT, to offset the costs for GIFT Girls who train in it, insurance, maintenance, parts, a new or overhauled engine for a C172 and even headsets and even help with signage, and hangar space. Every sponsor and major donation will be placarded onto the aircraft. Donations of all sort are welcome, charts, testing supplies, fuel, aircraft, housing, food/catering/donations, etc.(charts do not need to be new for study training purposes).
Even better is let us help your flight school or local airport host a GIFT weekend! We can come to you help with the ground instruction, coordination, using our non profit status can be a big help in getting donations from local business and FBO's. watch for our donate button to make donating easier soon! (every 5 dollars buys a gallon of gas for a participant $25 buys gas for an hour of flight in the C150)
Even better is let us help your flight school or local airport host a GIFT weekend! We can come to you help with the ground instruction, coordination, using our non profit status can be a big help in getting donations from local business and FBO's. watch for our donate button to make donating easier soon! (every 5 dollars buys a gallon of gas for a participant $25 buys gas for an hour of flight in the C150)
