By Brooke Van Gelderen, Manitoba 99s, Photos by Jay Ladouceur
On the frosty morning of November 29, Santa brought just enough snow to land his airplane at the Lyncrest Airport (the reindeer were getting ready for Christmas). The children pressed their noses into the glass window as Santa landed his candy cane-coloured airplane on the snow-dusted grass strip. When he stepped out, the kids cheered and ran outside to greet him. The Manitoba 99s, who filled in as Santa’s elves, ushered the jolly party inside into the wood stove-heated clubhouse to enjoy complimentary cookies and hot chocolate then take pictures and tell Santa what’s on their Christmas lists.
For the past few years, Santa along with the Manitoba 99s have hosted a fly-in for the local children of Winnipeg and the children who flew in with their families to see him. This is one of the many events the Manitoba 99s and the Springfield Flying Club put on. The 99s are an international group who strive to make aviation more accessible to women and offer many programs to help female aviators soar. Next holiday season, consider taking your children to visit Santa in the most magical way possible, by seeing him fly in from the North Pole itself.
Submitted to Bits and Pieces by Anne Antoniuk, Vice-Chair, Manitoba 99s