Lakewood Nonprofit Teaches Girls to Soar Past Gender Stereotypes
Lynda Meeks started Girls With Wings to get more girls interested in aviation.
Lynda Meeks is a member of the 6.7 percent. According to statistics from the Federal Aviation Administration, out of 627,588 certified pilots in the United States, 42,218 are women – about 6.7 percent. Their certificates are even called “Women Airmen Certificates.” “After almost 100 years of professional pilots in aviation, we’re still just at 6 percent,” Meeks said. “And that’s just not right.” In 2005, Meeks started Girls With Wings, a nonprofit organization based in Lakewood, to chip away at pilot patriarchy in part by giving hour-long, high-energy and interactive presentations to girls in elementary and middle school that teach them “anything and everything they need to know to be a pilot.” “Research shows that if you don’t let a girl …
