Sheltair Aviation to Host Girls in Aviation Day at 11 Locations on September 19, 2026
Why It MattersRecurring outreach events like this reflect how FBO networks use community programming across multiple airport sites to build long-term visibility and workforce pipelines for aviation careers.
What happened
Sheltair Aviation will host the 12th Annual Girls in Aviation Day at 11 locations across Florida and Georgia on September 19, 2026, building on a 2025 edition in which nearly 10,000 attendees participated in Sheltair-supported events. The company is joining Women in Aviation International (WAI) chapters in the international initiative, which WAI established in 2015 to introduce young people to aviation and aerospace. Sheltair team members from Rocky Mountain Metropolitan Airport (KBJC) in Colorado and Denton Enterprise Airport (KDTO) in Texas will also participate in local WAI chapter events in their communities.
Programming across locations will include aircraft displays, hands-on educational activities, demonstrations, and opportunities to meet professionals representing careers throughout aviation and aerospace, including pilots, maintenance technicians, engineers, air traffic controllers and aviation business leaders. At Sheltair Tampa, more than 40 aviation organizations are expected to participate alongside aircraft displays and hands-on activities, and astronaut Sharon Hagle will attend to share her experience traveling to space and encourage attendees to explore opportunities in aviation and aerospace.
"Nearly 10,000 people joined us last year, but what makes these events truly meaningful is seeing a young person discover an aircraft, meet someone working in aviation or learn about a career they never knew existed," said Lisa Holland, President of Sheltair Aviation. Sheltair Aviation is a family-owned company founded in 1963 by Jerry Holland, operating 15 FBOs and more than 4.7 million square feet of aviation-related properties across the United States.
Industry impact & what to watch
Events of this kind belong to a broader pattern in which fixed-base operators use community and educational programming to build brand presence at the airports where they hold ground leases, extending well beyond fueling and hangar services. Girls in Aviation Day, run through WAI chapters, gives an FBO network like Sheltair a way to appear simultaneously at many of its locations under one coordinated banner rather than through scattered local marketing.
For an operator spanning 15 FBOs, participation also signals how the company positions itself around workforce development in a sector that regularly cites shortages of pilots, technicians and controllers. Attendance figures such as the nearly 10,000 from 2025 give Sheltair a comparison point for judging whether the 2026 expansion to 11 locations sustains or grows participation.
What happens on September 19, 2026, and whether turnout matches or exceeds last year's nearly 10,000 attendees, will be the clearest signal of whether this outreach effort continues to scale alongside Sheltair's FBO footprint.
