With Women of Aviation Worldwide Week (WOAW) only a few weeks away, Australia's airports are set for an influx of first-time female flyers.
WOAW runs from 2-8 March, and targets women all over the world with the intent of introducing as many women as possible to aviation.
Last year in Australia, teams from across nine states took over 400 females flying for the first time in a small aircraft, and shared their love of everything aviation to over 1400 people who supported the various WOAW events across the country.
Over 120 volunteers, 51 pilots and 45 different aircraft were used during the events which were held across nine states of Australia.
One location that embraced WOAW in 2014 was Coldstream in Victoria's Yarra Valley. Last year, the team made 45 flights taking women of all ages into the sky for the first time. They will be back to repeat the effort on 7 March this year.
"It's an international initiative to support women in aviation," says organiser Faye Warren, "because an aviation career is still not on the radar for a lot of girls.
"We want girls to think that aviation for pleasure or career is possible. There are so many different roles from LAME to pilot, or simply doing it for fun."
Volunteers for WOAW at Coldstream are drawn from the local aero club, Coldstream Flyers, and the flying school, Yarra Valley Flight Training, with further support coming in the way of sponsorship from Tyson's Fueling Service.
The aircraft used in the 2014 event was a collection that represented almost the entire gamut of the private fleet in Australia; from a home-built RV-7 to Archers, Bonanzas, Beech Baron and even a Piper Chipmunk.
As well as flights, the Coldstream event also does aviation briefings and even some flight theory to show women that flying can be a part of their lives.
The scene over the Yarra Valley on 7 March looks set to be repeated right across Australia as airports and flying groups embrace the WOAW concept. Events of various nature are scheduled for Bathurst, Bankstown, Caloundra and Caboolture among others.
In November, Tammy Augostin - Australian National President WOAW said “The Aussie teams are very excited to be a part of this wonderful initiative and are looking forward to increasing our numbers reached from the 2014 events."
To find a WOAW event near you, go to the international WOAW website.