Museum Participates in Free Flight Event March 24

"Fly it Forward" will give free 20-minute flights to over 150 girls and women from Renton Airport

SEATTLE, March 22, 2012--The Museum of Flight and Aviation High School will participate in Fly it Forward 2012, a career fair at Renton Airport that provides free, introductory airplane rides to girls interested in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM). The event runs from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on March 24. Over 150 girls have already signed up for airplane rides, and event organizers look forward to several hundred in the final tally. The Renton Fly it Forward is being organized by Jenny Gao, an Aviation High School senior and an alumnus of the Washington Aerospace Scholars program at The Museum of Flight. The event has been recognized by the international Women of Aviation Worldwide Week organization.

Fly it Forward 2012 is an event that provides free introductory flights to girls and women within the Seattle region at the Renton Airport. The event will also include a booth fair comprised of aviation organizations, STEM-related groups, and educational organizations, in hopes of exposing the community, especially females, to the worlds of STEM and aviation.

According to the Department of Commerce, although women fill close to half of all jobs in the U.S. economy, they hold less than 25 percent of STEM jobs. According to Women in Aviation International, women pilots represent only six percent of the total pilot population. The main goals of this event are to introduce girls into STEM fields that traditionally lack females as well as show them these types of careers and hobbies are worth considering.

The event is open to the entire community and females of all ages can sign up for a free 20-minute flight with a professional pilot in his/her aircraft. The Renton Airport is Renton Airport is located at 840 West Perimeter Road, Renton, Wash. 98057

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The non-profit Museum of Flight is one of the largest independent air and space museums in the world. The Museum's collection includes more than 150 historically significant air- and spacecraft, as well as the William E. Boeing Red Barn^® -- the original manufacturing facility of the Boeing Co. The Airpark includes outdoor displays with the first jet Air Force One, a Concorde airliner, and the first Boeing 747 jumbo jet. The Museum aeronautical library and archival holdings are the largest on the West Coast. The Education Office offers weekend family programs, programs for students and educators, and overnight camps for children. McCormick & Schmick's Wings Café is on site.

The Museum of Flight is located at 9404 E. Marginal Way S., Seattle, Exit 158 off Interstate 5 on Boeing Field half-way between downtown Seattle and Sea-Tac Airport. The Museum is open daily from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Admission is id="mce_marker"7 for adults, id="mce_marker"4 for seniors 65 and older, id="mce_marker"3 for active military, $9 for youth 5 to 17, and free for children under 5. Group rates are available. Admission on the first Thursday of the month is free from 5 to 9 p.m. courtesy of Wells Fargo. For general Museum information, please call 206-764-5720 or visit museumofflight.org.