Women In Aviation International said: "While the amount of women in the US Aviation Field is still small, with women only representing about seven per cent of the total pilot population, the number of women involved is steadily increasing and women are represented in nearly every aviation occupation today."

Coast Guard Sector Humboldt Bay, which includes the McKinleyville Coast Guard, was able to achieve an aircrew consisting solely of women due to an increase of women signing up at the unit. The sector consists of 250 miles of coastline north of the California-Oregon border.

"The Coast Guard is striving to increase the number of women in the organization overall, not only in aviation,” said Lt Audra Forteza, a Sector Humboldt Bayaircraft commander. "It's wonderful that our small unit has enough females that we can show young women in the community that they do have these kinds of opportunities, and hopefully we can inspire them to pursue their career dreams and grow up to be whatever they want to be."