Ninety Nines Women's Fly-In

On Sunday, December 2nd, a total of sixteen female pilots flew into Grand Bahama Island as a part of a Fly-In hosted by the Ministry of Tourism & Aviation (MOTA).

The Fly-In, which came about as a result of a new partnership between the Ninety-Nines Organization and MOTA, afforded high school and college aged females on Grand Bahama the opportunity to learn more about the aviation industry.

The Ninety-Nines is an international organization of licensed women pilots from 44 countries. As the organization’s goal is to promote the advancement of aviation through education, scholarships, and mutual support while honoring its unique history, the group took the opportunity to speak with the local community while on island.

Terry Carbonell, Director, Ninety-Nines Organization, stated that “The purpose of the Fly-In is two-fold, one being vacation and the other being to introduce our program ’Lets Fly Now’ to women of flying ages.”

Being a part of an international organization of licensed women pilots from around the world, she added that “I would love to see more women becoming involved in the aviation industry, as there is a 6% pilot population of women.”

With an objective to promote a scholarship program which helps women finance their education in aviation, the organization hopes to have a presence throughout The Islands Of The Bahamas and influence females to choose a career in aviation.

Carbonell believes that in addition to pilots, the aviation sector also has a need for more air traffic control, maintenance, and industry workers.

In this regard, Nuvolari Chotoosingh, Manager, Niche Markets, MOTA, said, “It was a wonderful experience not only for the Ninety-Nines, but for the young people on Grand Bahama who may have interest in aviation to get first-hand experience, take a flight and hear from women who have been flying for many years about how they got into it, the benefits of being a pilot and all the avenues that can become open to them in terms of the aviation industry.”

Onesha Adderley, female pilot and student at the University of The Bahamas, said, “Aviation has always been a passion of mine and breaking a glass ceiling of women in aviation has always been something that I hold dear to my heart.”

Adderley, who flew in from New Providence for the occasion, was given a life-time membership to the prestigious organization in which she hopes to make a difference.

As airlift is essential to the sustainability of the tourism industry, the Ministry of Tourism & Aviation looks forward to creating more partnerships with organizations that make it a priority to promote and establish Grand Bahama Island as a destination of choice.