VANCOUVER, BC- February 24, 2019-It is with deep regret that due to unforeseen circumstances outside of our control we must postpone The Sky’s No Limit – Girls Fly Too! 2019 event until after the BC wildfire season. The good news is that the new date coincides with the week of International Day of the Girl, a Canadian-driven UN observance, on Oct. 5 – 6, 2019.

As many of you know, we outgrew the largest available hangar four years ago. Since then our event has been graciously hosted by BC Wildfire Services at the Air Tanker Base at the Abbotsford International Airport.

Unfortunately, due to a second year of extreme wildfires and flooding in 2018, some of the essential resources we need to run the event are not available to us as they normally would be.  Despite heroic efforts on the part of many, we were unable to secure replacement resources in time to meet the planned dates of March 9 – 10, 2019.

It takes significant time, money and resources contributed by many agency, industry, education and community partners as well as the dedication of hundreds of volunteers to provide a free event of this nature for thousands of participants. We decided it was in the best interests of all concerned to postpone the event until such time as we have sufficient resources available to provide the kind of incredible event that we have become known for.

We realize this may come as a considerable disappointment for many of you, particularly those girls and women who have been looking forward to enjoying their first flight in a helicopter – free! Rest assured that in just a few short months you will still be able enjoy this, and many other amazing opportunities at our free event.  NASA Astronaut Heide Stefanyshyn-Piper has confirmed she will be there for both days on Oct. 5 – 6, 2019.

For those of you that have already been successful in booking your flights, we are happy to transfer your flight to the same day and time on the new weekend of Oct. 5 – 6. Over the next few weeks we will be sending out emails to confirm this with you. We will also have more time to run regular social media challenges in advance of the event!

For those of you that have volunteered with us, we will be reaching out to you shortly to confirm your availability for the new dates.

Thank you to everyone for your understanding of this difficult decision that was necessary to make in order to protect the event and offer everyone the best possible experience. See you in October

The Sky’s No Limit – Girls Fly Too! is the world’s largest event of its kind to inspire female future leaders in Aviation, Aerospace, Marine & Defence, as well as other high-tech STEM fields. The life-changing event is organized by the Achieve Anything Foundation traditionally held annually during the Week of International Women’s Day. In 2019 the event will be held during the International Week of the Girl. Weather permitting, hundreds of free flights are provided to female first-time fliers of any age. 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 the Lockheed Martin Corporation, Abbotsford International Airport, Teck Construction, University of the Fraser Valley, Pacific Region Training Center, Government of British Columbia, Verrault Lowbed Service, Seaspan and many others.

Events are open to the public and everyone is welcome– no registration is required to attend.

In 2018 the Canadian and US Military, Cadets, RCMP, Canadian Coast Guard, Vancouver Police and various civilian entities joined forces with well over a billion dollars in aircraft and tactical assets for participants to explore. Over 20,000 people from Canada, the US and beyond participated over the two-days event and 1,955 girls and women were exhilarated by their first flight in a small aircraft. Visit www.girlsfly2.ca  for more information and event updates.

The Achieve Anything Foundation is a federally incorporated not-for-profit organization with a mission to inspire female future leaders in STEM (science, technology, engineering & math), and STEM-based fields such as Aviation, Aerospace, Marine & Defence. With the mantra “From shop floor to top floor” the Foundation employs a unique hands-on approach towards changing perceptions and improving gender diversity in high tech fields.

“Since the number of women in high-tech, STEM-based industries remains low, the result is that girls and women have very few role models in their network to share their experience and passion for these fields. In day to day life, women generally don’t “see” themselves reflected in these areas, and this is continually reinforced in the media and social media”. Says Achieve Anything president and founder Kirsten Brazier. “Therefore, if women are not aware of these opportunities, it is unreasonable to expect them to be interested in pursuing them. We’ve implemented Operation: This IS You! to develop this network of experience by providing year-round hands-on experience events for girls and women in the applicable agency or industry partner’s native environments.”

Brazier is a professional pilot from the Lower Mainland, BC and she holds Canadian and US pilot licenses with Airline Transport Ratings for both aeroplanes and helicopters. With over 25 years of flying and aviation management 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.