Internationally Renowned Delta Police Pipe Band to perform for Her Honour at The Sky’s No Limit – Girls Fly Too! EPIC Aviation, Aerospace, Marine & Defence Event in March
Vancouver, BC- February 23, 2017 –
The Delta Police Pipe band recently shared the stage with Sir Paul McCartney for a third time, joining the rock legend to perform Mull of Kintyre for 50,000 fans at a Vancouver concert.
The band has performed at numerous National and International events, including touring Germany in 2013 and delighting audiences in Flensburg, Hamburg, Cologne, Berlin, Leipzig and Cottbus. Other performances of note include two for Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II, one for Prince William and the late Princess Diana. The band has performed with many diverse performers including Irish Tenor Anthony Kearns as well as The Chieftains.
On Saturday March 11 the band will join the Honourable Judith Guichon, Lieutenant Governor of British Columbia at the Abbotsford International Airport to welcome thousands of female future leaders at the opening ceremony of The Sky’s No Limit – Girls Fly Too!
Her Honour was sworn in as the 29th Lieutenant Governor of British Columbia on November 2, 2012. Prior to this appointment she owned and operated Gerard Guichon Ranch Limited in the Nicola Valley in the British Columbia Interior. Her Honour studied Holistic Management, a farming method which promotes sustainable management of livestock by emphasizing their natural habitat. Along with her late husband, commercial pilot Lawrence Guichon, she introduced Holistic Management to the ranchers of British Columbia.
“There are no limits to the opportunities girls and young women can pursue. I encourage them to explore aviation as an option and this event is a wonderful place to start” The Lieutenant Governor said of the 2016 event. Her Honour joins the event for the third consecutive year.
The Sky’s No Limit – Girls Fly Too! is the world’s largest outreach initiative to inspire female future leaders in Aviation, Aerospace, Marine and Defence, and the free events held annually during the Week of International Women’s Day change lives. Events are fun, hands-on, and completely free to ensure there are no barriers to participation.
This is thanks to the generous support of industry and community partners such as Boeing, Abbotsford International Airport, Teck Construction, BCIT, Government of British Columbia; Ministry of Jobs, Tourism and Skills Training and the University of the Fraser Valley. Events are open to the public and everyone is welcome (any age, any gender, any ability).
Aside from the thrill of exploring unique aircraft and meeting the crews, participants will get to meet NASA Astronaut Heidi Stefanyshyn-Piper. Free flights are offered to female first-time fliers of all ages to draw the females to the airport and pique their interest in further exploring the hands-on ground activities. As well, all participants (male and female) are encouraged to try their hand at many Aviation, Aerospace, Marine and Defence activities. Participants can expect to see aircraft and tactical assets from The Royal Canadian Navy, Royal Canadian Air Force, Canadian Army, Canadian Coast Guard, RCMP, Cadets, US Military, Civil Air Search & Rescue, plus civilian and education partners from Aviation, Aerospace, Marine and Defence. Visit www.girlsfly2.ca for more information and event updates.
Previous events have been supported by the Canadian Coast Guard, RCMP, Canadian Forces, Cadets, Canadian Space Agency, US Air Force, US Navy and other agency, industry and education partners. The Honourable Judith Guichon, Lieutenant Governor of British Columbia; The Honourable Harjit Sajjan, Minister of National Defence, Canada; NASA Astronaut (Ret) Wendy Lawrence; Captain Joanne McNish, Director of Fleet Pacific Region CCG; Rear Admiral Gilles Couturier, RCN; US Consul General Lynne Platt and India Consul General Rajiv Chander were among the dignitaries present in 2016.
Purpose: Out of 25,413 professional pilots in Canada, only 5.8% of them are women. Out of 17,278 aircraft engineers, only 2.3% of them are women. Women account for only 4% of the technical trades and less than 3% of the top command positions in the Canadian Forces.
From the numbers, it would be tempting to conclude that women are either uninterested or unwelcome in these fields. Instead, studies have shown that a common perception persists that Aviation, Aerospace, Marine and Defence are industries reserved for men. From an early age, males and females alike are affected by this perception message, which is continually reinforced by observation (lack of change), media, social media and advertising. The low numbers also mean that most women have no direct family or peer connection to these target industries. Therefore, it is unreasonable to expect gender and cultural diversity to resolve naturally in these fields.
The Sky’s No Limit – Girls Fly Too! free outreach events and other initiatives aim to change this perception and awaken new interests by providing females of all ages with fun, interactive, and hands-on introductions into STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) based fields.
The Sky’s No Limit – Girls Fly Too! employs a unique hands-on approach to capture the interest and attention of the missing female demographic. “From shop floor to top floor, we’re inspiring future leaders!” says Kirsten Brazier, Founder.
Following an extremely successful International event in 2016, Brazier founded The Achieve Anything Foundation to help develop and implement year-round projects and programs of lasting value towards inspiring female future leaders in STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) and STEM-based fields such as Aviation, Aerospace, Marine and Defence. The Achieve Anything Foundation is a federally incorporated not-for-profit. For more information: www.achieveanything.ca
Brazier is a professional pilot from the Lower Mainland, BC and she holds Airline Transport Ratings for both aeroplanes and helicopters. With 24 years of flying experience, Brazier has enjoyed a diverse career flying across Canada, US and the Caribbean on wheels, floats, skis and skids as well as two-crew operations in both aeroplanes and helicopters.
