SANFORD — At just shy of 2,000 feet, the Cessna 132 began to pitch and buckle, passing through a small pocket of air turbulence as it arced across the sky above Sanford and the surrounding communities.

Nobody in the plane was worried ”“ least of all the pilot, Mary Build, who boasts over 5,500 hours of flight time across a 23-year love affair with aviation. Exercising a gentle touch with her steering instruments, Build banked the Cessna to her right, flying parallel to the Maine coastline, and eased the four-seater back to the Sanford Seacoast Regional Airport, cars and buildings mere raisin-specks on the earth below.

After an easy landing, her passengers, Stacey Grundy and her young son, Isaac, disembarked with smiles on their faces.

“It was scary sometimes,” said Isaac, fresh off his first plane ride. “But it was fun.”

The rides were perhaps the most popular attraction during Women Interested in Aviation Day on Saturday, and while men were certainly welcome, the event’s goal was to showcase the opportunities that are available to women and young girls who may one day dream of taking to the skies.

Build is a member of The Ninety-Nines, an international organization of women pilots which promotes aviation education and provides scholarship funding to budding air enthusiasts. It was also one of the main organizations responsible for Saturday’s event, which Build said was an important step in exposing young women to the possibilities that may await them.

“When we were growing up, (women) didn’t have any options,” she said. “You could be a nurse or a secretary, but that was about it. My parents wouldn’t have dreamed of letting me become a pilot.”

Now a veteran of the skies, Build delights in sharing her passion with women who might one day follow in her footsteps.

“Women have come up to me after a flight and said, ”˜Thank you, you’ve given me the inspiration to do this,’” she said. “That’s pretty special.”

Other organizations took part in spreading that message, including the Maine Aeronautics Association, the Civil Air Patrol, and the University of Maine at Augusta, which now offers a Bachelor of Science in aviation.

“We’re here to support our community,” said Major Blain Cote of the Civil Air Patrol. “It just shows the importance of aviation ”“ it’s great to get people involved in it.”

That involvement doesn’t necessarily have to entail flight itself. Between the information available from different groups and the presentations which were made by industry professionals, one of the messages was that non-airborne careers are also an option for women intrigued by aeronautics. Meteorologists, engineers and air traffic controllers, for example, utilize aviation technology while remaining planted on terra firma.

Managing an airport is yet another career option for women. Just ask Sanford Seacoast Regional Airport Manager Allison Rogers.

“Anytime you can get a young person exposed to it, you can spark their interest,” said Rogers. “Sometimes it happens by accident.”

Which is more or less what happened to her. As a junior in high school, Rogers was at a farm, watering plants in a greenhouse, when the farmhands’ conversation turned to the future. When Rogers mentioned she wanted to fly helicopters in the military, an older man ”“ who was restricted from flying due to physical limitations ”“ offered Rogers his remaining flight time at a nearby airport. She fell in love with aviation in an instant.

“You never know,” she said Saturday, looking around a hangar packed with teens and tweens. “Somebody’s life might change today.”

Lori Plourd, a member of The Ninety-Nines, pointed out that only 6 percent of licensed pilots are women. That’s a number she’d like to see changed, she said. She’ll have help from other “99ers,” like Twyla Rogers, who flies at least twice a week with her husband when the weather permits, and Lisa Reese, who flies out of Wiscasset.

“Part of why you fly is you want to share that knowledge, that passion,” said Reese. “Young girls don’t always know that opportunities are out there. Seeing women flying would be a big help.”

As the Grundys made their way back to the hangar, legs wobbly but exhilarated from their flight, Build helped a fresh group climb into her small Cessna. All were girls. She smiled.

“The key to success is to love what you do ”“ that’s the most important part,” said Build. “They can do whatever they want to do.”

— Jeff Lagasse is an Assistant Editor at he Journal Tribune. He can be contacted at 282-1535, ext. 319, or at jlagasse@journaltribune.com.