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trying a career outside of aviation.
Meanwhile, as the voice of the male
pilot of her flight blared facts about
their destination from the speakers,
a little girl sitting near Meeks turned
to her mother and said, “Mommy,
why aren’t there any girl pilots?”
That was enough of a “sign from
above” for Meeks to not only continue her career as a pilot, but to
work to inspire young girls to pursue
aviation — or any challenging goal
they set their mind to — through
her organization Girls With Wings.
GREATEST PERSON
OF THE WEEK
Founded in 2005 by Meeks, the Girls
With Wings mission, or “flight plan,”
focuses on motivating girls through
educational presentations as well as
scholarships for older aviation students to aid in funding the cost of a
pilot’s license. More recently, Meeks
organized the hands-on “Aviation
Inspiration Day,” where girls learn
about what it means to be a pilot
firsthand as groups are shuttled into
a plane and take to the sky.
SKYWARDS
Meeks, who was “deathly” afraid of
heights (“a lot of pilots are, believe it
or not,” she explains) decided to be a
HUFFINGTON
10.14.12
Meeks and
her nieces,
Delaney, left,
Kate, middle,
and Marie,
right, at the
flight school
in Medina,
Ohio, where
Meeks is an
instructor.