Build, Fix, Fly Article in Aviation for Girls Magazine

Sep 6

We are thrilled to share that our very own Women Build Planes team member, Ashwil Bell, had her inspiring article, “Build, Fly, Fix” published in Aviation for Girls, a magazine from Women in Aviation, which will be included in thousands of bags distributed to girls worldwide as part of Girls in Aviation Day on September 21st.

It’s a tremendous honor to be part of this collaboration, showcasing the importance of women in aviation and being part of the Women in Aviation International Worldwide event with more than 180 events across the globe, including 33 countries, 41 states, 2 territories, and over 30,000 participants.

Through Ashwil's journey—starting with her passion for aerospace and evolving into her hands-on experience building a Rans S-21 with our Habitat for Aviation’s Women Build Planes team—she demonstrates that WOMEN can, and do, BUILD, FLY, and FIX airplanes.

Ashwil’s article speaks directly to the next generation of girls, showing them that the sky isn’t the limit, but just the beginning. Her story of finding belonging and confidence as part of an all-female team serves as a powerful reminder that, with each rivet pulled and every section of the plane completed, young women can break barriers in this industry. We hope this message will resonate with thousands of girls who will look at Ashwil and think, “Maybe I could be her!”

Beth White

Education Possibilitarian, Artist, Writer, Doula, Mentor, Aviatrix, Breast Cancer Survivor, Pilot-in-Command at Habitat for Aviation

In the spring of 2022, Beth White emerged from a 10-month battle with breast cancer with an idea: to create an apprenticeship program at Franklin County State Airport where youth work alongside adult mentors servicing conventional and electric aircraft. A pilot and airplane mechanic apprentice herself, and with family roots in the trades, Habitat for Aviation provides an taxilane for world learning opportunities for youth and adults who love to work with their hands to enter the FAA’s apprenticeship certification track. Each day she puts systems in place that make real John Dewey’s philosophy that we “learn best what we live” – a deep throughline from her time at Antioch University New England and as Regional Director for Big Picture Learning. Each learning experience is grounded in relationships, relevance, and practice. In October, 2023, Habitat for Aviation launched its Women Build Planes program, where an all-female team of Modern Day Rosies is building an airplane at Franklin County Airport, in northwestern Vermont, to show folks everywhere that despite the fact that only 2.6% of airplane mechanics are female, women BUILD, FLY, and FIX airplanes.

Build, Fix, Fly Article in Aviation for Girls Magazine

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Helping a Fellow Rans Builder with Inventorying his Kit