If there’s one thing our stories—the stories of women in aviation—all have in common, it’s that we started with a belief that we could. This is why, when I was trying to find a thoughtful, quality memento to reward girls at outreach events I was thrilled to discover charms with the quote, “She believed She could so She did.” From there I found aviation-themed charms and birthstones, and suddenly I had a fun new craft to keep me busy when watching a show or a movie with a glass of wine.
My participation at youth outreach events as Literary Aviatrix has been an evolution. The first time I packed my suitcases full of books and loaded them in my car was for a Goldcoast Ninety-Nines Girl Scout Education Day hosted by Wayman Aviation Academy in January 2022. This event, organized by chapter member Myra Bugbee, a former elementary school teacher, principal, and recreational pilot, is planned and run with the precision and direction of a major military exercise (and in some ways, much better.)
The girls arrive for an all-hands briefing, then break into groups and are escorted with the guidance of a meticulously planned schedule (read OPORD, for us military types) to various stations for twenty-minute intervals. They learn about navigation, weather, aerodynamics, communication, engines…and that year, they would spend twenty minutes with me to talk about some of the over 600 books on the market featuring women in aviation in all genres for all ages.
It was fun! I organized my chat around various periods of history and talked about specific age-appropriate books the girls might like. Some of them listened with rapt interest, and others’ eyes glazed over. No matter, they were my little literary hostages for twenty minutes, so they were going to hear what I had to say.
The next few events were different. They were in open hangars, where attendees were free to roam and explore what interested them. I can always spot the hardcore readers. In a carnival atmosphere with a hangar full of so many cool activities, machines, and noises that even avgeeks hit sensory overload, these curious little bookworms make a beeline straight for my table. They see that pile of books and their eyes light up like they’ve found their one true love. They approach, smile briefly at me, wordlessly begging permission to touch these treasures, and, with a knowing nod of approval from me, gingerly open covers and thumb the pages.
Then there’s the second wave, the ones who must experience all the flashy stuff before they’re ready to slow down and explore the covers on my table. And, lastly, there are those who kind of amble by, they, not sure how to engage with me, I unsure how to draw them into my happy story-filled world.
After several events doing the same thing and hoping for a different outcome, I had an epiphany. My table was posted next to an Envoy booth where a few fabulous, energetic cabin crew ladies had a giant cake pop display. Guess where all the little girls (and big girls) were hanging out? They stayed there, too, those girls, even after they got their cake pops. I felt like the brooding teenaged goth girl next to the popular, bubbly cheerleaders, which was not an entirely unfamiliar experience considering that was me in high school—the goth girl, I mean.
I leaned in to hear what they were up to. They had a stack of cards with trivia questions—geography stuff, like what’s the capital of North Dakota? I suppose they were trying to entice their young audience with the glamour of travel. Everyone over at their booth was laughing and cheering and having a party, and I was like, I want to be popular.
“Look at all the books!” I wanted to exclaim. “How can the capital of North Dakota be more fun than all these amazing stories?”
I went home and had a long think on how my table could be the party at my next event. How could I hook reluctant or self-proclaimed non-readers to stop by and explore our stories? How could I keep the interested readers engaged and get them to interact a little more deeply? Our kids get so much junk and sugar already I couldn’t in good conscience resort to cake pop bribery, no matter how popular it would make me (no offense, Envoy ladies ;-). But maybe I could do something like the trivia game to keep them around a little longer, only about our women and their stories, and make it accessible and fun for all ages?
Literary Aviatrix Pilot Bingo was born. I selected a sampling of women featured in age-appropriate books who represent a diverse cross-section of history, types of flying, race and ethnicity, and nationality. I put their pictures on a card and made cue cards with fun facts about them along with their picture and book covers. I bought some glittery airplane and cloud confetti to mark their faces during play. All that was left was to decide on a prize.
I didn’t want to give candy for the aforementioned reasons, and the same went for cheap plastic toys. With three kids of my own I’ve deposited more than my share of refuse in landfills. I wanted something that felt special, maybe a little ‘girly’, aviation-themed, and all the better if there was a nexus with our stories. Ultimately, I came up with the bracelets.
Guess what? I’m popular! So popular in fact, I’m now typically the last one packing up when the event is over because all the ladies working the other booths want their chance at the game. More importantly, my visitors are deeply engaged. Everyone is a winner if they play long enough, and everyone wants to win. When they do, they are delighted by the reward, digging into my treasure chest to find a bracelet with the gem or charm they like.
More importantly, they linger long enough to spend time in front of the books, even those not highlighted on the cards. Part of the game is to scan the books on the table to see if you can guess who I’m talking about before I show you their picture. It’s fun to see who they think might be the answer on the card before the big reveal. All the while, I’m filling their heads with visions of pioneering aviatrices, little bits of aviation history, and interesting details about their flying exploits.
I hope when they hear that jingle on their wrists and admire their charms, some of those details stay with them and pique their curiosity to discover more through our stories. I hope those stories help them believe they can, and that they ultimately do.
