Girls get a taste of air force life

‘‘This is what I want to do’’ realised year 13 student Eleanor Knight after attending the air force’s first ever allfemale aviation camp in Auckland.

The high school student spent four days at the Royal New Zealand Air Force (RNZAF) base in Whenuapai during the July holidays, as part of an aviation immersion experience for young women.

Eleanor, an aspiring pilot, described the School to Skies programme as ‘‘one of the best things I’ve ever done’’.

‘‘All the people were absolutely amazing. They were all so encouraging and they wanted us to do really well, and it really gave me an insight into the air force,’’ she said.

‘‘Before I wasn’t sure and then after the camp, I was like, ‘This is what I want to do, I want to be in the air force’.’’

She said learning more about the principles of flying, engineering and flight simulation helped her to see ‘‘how everything fit together’’ and showed her what it would be like to actually be a pilot in the air force.

The four-day tech and aviation camp provided personal and professional development, leadership training, theory and practical exercises related to aviation.

Hands-on learning included flight simulation, building a plane, maintenance, and developing and then flying a search and rescue mission in a Hercules.

It was open to Auckland-based year 12 and 13 female students interested in pursuing science, maths, engineering or technology (STEM) related careers.

Forty-six young women attended and lived on base in barracks for the duration of the course.

Squadron leader Rebecca Magdalinos, who came up with the initial concept for the camp, said it also provided an introduction into military life and ’’demystifying’’ the barriers to women joining.

‘‘We wanted them to have total immersion experiential learning and live in our world.

‘‘For a young lady, it’s often difficult for them to imagine themselves being able to achieve something if they haven’t seen it or done it.’’

The RNZAF aimed to have 25 per cent female representation by 2025. Its currently around 17 per cent.

Magdalinos said the intent was to built the camp into a sustainable programme to run from Whenuapai, Ohakea and Woodburne air bases.