Women Aviation Enthusiasts Connect, Inspire And Enjoy EAA AirVenture

By Maxine Scheer

Now in its 9th consecutive year, WomenVenture, a collaboration between EAA and Women in Aviation International (WAI), has become a highlight of the programs at AirVenture. On Wednesday, July 27, 2016, over a dozen WomenVenture programs were offered throughout the day, providing women aviation enthusiasts (and supporters) the opportunity to connect with and inspire one another while enjoying one of the world’s greatest aviation events.

WAI Executive Director Dr. Peggy Chabrian (pictured) kicked off the day at the annual WAI Connect Breakfast at the EAA Nature Center, welcoming an overflow crowd of over 400 women wearing this year’s Kelly Green WomenVenture t-shirts. Adding to the enthusiasm were over 50 high school girls who participated in the EAA Women Soar You Soar program. The event also included many WAI supporters and sponsors, both men and women, three of the Women Air Force Service Pilots (WASPs), and a number of inspirational speakers.

Sherry Carbary, vice president of Boeing Flight Services, provided opening remarks and introduced to attendees four of the many women featured in a book titled “Trailblazers, the Women of the Boeing Company”. Sherry leads a global operation of more than 1,200 employees responsible for pilot, technician and cabin safety training in 11 countries and six continents.

Carbary  also introduced a keynote speaker, Jackie Nesselroad, Boeing director of production operations for the Space Launch Systems New Orleans facility. Jackie is managing the teams building the core stages for the Mars rocket for NASA, the world’s largest rockets scheduled for a first launch in 2018.  One of Nesselroad’s messages to young women is “there is always time to do the right thing, the quality of the hardware is as important as anything we do in our careers.”

Chabrian announced the availability of over 113 separate WAI scholarships in 2017 for a variety of aviation careers with a current combined value of more than $620,000. These, and potentially others, will be awarded during the 28th annual International Women in Aviation Conference at Disney's Coronado Springs Resort in Florida, March 2-4, 2017.

Chabrian was proud of having reached the $10 million mark in 2016 for WAI scholarships awarded since 1995. WAI scholarship deadlines are in November 2016 and available to WAI members.   Chabrian hopes young women attending AirVenture see women wearing the WomenVenture T-shirts and ask them about talk about their interest in aviation.  Chabrian hopes it will help spark more interest, such as learning to fly or building an aircraft.

Erin Miller (pictured) also spoke at the WAI Connect Breakfast on behalf of her grandmother, Elaine Harman, a WWII WASP, who flew numerous aircraft, including the BT-13, AT-6, and co-pilot on the B-17.  Erin recalls her grandmother saying, “don’t let anything hold you back.”  When Harman was denied her wish of burial at Arlington National Cemetery, her granddaughter launched a campaign for change.  Erin came to thank Women in Aviation and others in the aviation community for their support in moving forward a Congressional amendment to the bill giving WASPs veteran status.  The amendment was signed by President Obama in May 2016, and allows Harman and other WASPs to be buried at Arlington.

Other events today included the annual photo shoot of women aviators on Boeing Plaza.  An estimated 2,000 women aviators surrounded an Alaska Airlines 737, flown into Oshkosh by an all women crew, including First Officer Patricia Tornich (pictured, left) and Captain Debora Waingrow (right).

The WomenVenture Power Lunch at Theatre on the Woods featured two US Navy aviators, Meagan Flannigan and Vanessa Christie.  Speed & Angels Navy F-14 pilot Lt. Cmdr. Meagan Flannigan has accumulated over 1250 hours and over 180 arrested landings. Her personal awards include the Strike/Flight Air Medal, Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal, Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal, as well as various unit awards. Flannigan is an instructor pilot at VFA-106 where she is currently serving.

Vanessa Christie is a U.S. Navy combat veteran who spent the majority of her active duty time flying and instructing in the F-14 Tomcat. Christie is currently the Vice President of Strategic Development for Prevailance Aerospace, LLC, an aviation safety academy and Prevailance, Inc, a U.S. Defense and NATO services firm.

Capping off of the day’s celebration were many extraordinary women performing in Wednesday's Air Show including Vicky Benzing, Patty Wagstaff, and Teresa Stokes (Wing Walker), with the national anthem performed by Thea Tippin.

Other WomenVenture events continue throughout the week of AirVenture 2016 and are listed on an expanded schedule published by EAA.

(Staff images)

FMI: www.wai.org