SOUTH BURLINGTON, Vt. (WCAX) – Middle school students from Enosburgh toured Heritage Aviation in South Burlington Wednesday for a firsthand look at careers in flight. The event was aimed at encouraging girls to consider the aviation industry.
“We’ve been just, you know, exploring the building and seeing like what careers we can do and such,” said Stella Debouse, an Enosburgh eighth grader.
Heritage Aviation is a fixed base operator located next to the Leahy Burlington International Airport. Students learned about the flight industry there directly from people who work in it.
“We’re here to give folks an opportunity, a window into the world of aviation, and to understand what careers might be for them and the pathways to those careers,” said Laura Carotenuto, the HR director at Heritage Aviation.
Students toured the building, saw the inside of a plane and interacted with airline equipment, offering a unique view into a potential career.
Heritage says the entire flight industry is facing a workforce shortage, but this tour in particular was for the girls. According to FAA data, only about 10% of pilots are women. Wednesday’s event wasn’t just to show off; it was also to show that women can take off in this industry, right here in Vermont.
“Being able to see that this is an opportunity for them, to understand what the educational pathways would be to prepare them for a career in aviation, as they begin to think about their futures, that they know that this is a real opportunity for them and to see themselves in that role,” Carotenuto said.
That’s still a few years away for these students, but the tour already inspired some to think about taking flight in one way or another.
“Probably a pilot,” one student said.
“Probably not a pilot; I think I would crash the plane,” said another.
“I’d probably be a flight attendant, but I don’t know if I’m tall enough to be honest,” another student said.
There are no set height requirements to be a flight attendant, only the ability to reach up high, and these students are shooting for the stars.
You can find the article here: https://www.wcax.com/2026/09/16/vermont-girls-cleared-takeoff-aviation-career-event/
