Fantasy Of Flight Welcomes Author Susan Butler For Living
History Symposium Luncheon March 26 To Benefit Girls Inc.
Since the release of the film "Amelia Earhart" last year,
millions have seen the aviation legend brought to life by actor
Hilary Swank. Now, fans of the world's most famous female pilot
will not only have an opportunity to meet Susan Butler, the author
of the biography "East to the Dawn: The Life of Amelia Earhart"
which was adapted for the movie, but will also be able to meet the
fearless female pilots who carried on Amelia Earhart's dreams of
flight. Fantasy of Flight has just announced that Butler will serve
as a special guest moderator for its March 26 luncheon honoring the
WASP-Women Airforce Service Pilots, the first female pilots ever to
pilot U.S. military aircraft during World War II.
"The Library of Congress theme for Women's History Month is to
'write women back into history' so I can't think of a better way to
celebrate the great women of aviation than with this luncheon and
symposium," said Kim Long, General Manager, Fantasy of Flight.
"From Amelia Earhart who laid the groundwork for women in flight,
to her close friend, WASP founder Jackie Cochran, to the four WASP
who have so graciously agreed to share their personal stories with
us, to Susan Butler who had the foresight to tell Earhart's story
like it had never been told before, and for all of the young women
of Girls Inc. who will be emboldened and lifted up by the proceeds
from this luncheon, we at Fantasy of Flight are proud to share this
important era in American history with the public."
Butler was inspired by the life of Amelia Earhart through the
passions of her own mother and grandmother, who fell in love with
flying long before most people would set foot in an airplane. Her
mother, one of the few women pilots of her time, was a member of
the Ninety Nines, the women's flying organization which Amelia
Earhart helped start. The Washington Post called her Earhart
biography, "The single best book that we now have on Earhart's
life." Butler now lives in Lake Wales, Florida.
The luncheon is just one part of the activities planned during
Fantasy of Flight's Living History Symposium honoring the WASP.
From March 25-27, in honor of Women's History Month, four of the
original WASP: Bernice "Bee" Falk Haydu, Riviera Beach, FL,
Florence Rubin Mascott, Palm Beach, FL, Barry Vincent Smith, Avon
Park, FL, and Helen Wyatt Snapp, Pembroke Pines, FL, will take part
in the second of Fantasy of Flight's three-part Living History
Symposium Series. Called "A Passionate Pursuit," the weekend
forum will celebrate all of the fearless female pilots who left
their homes and jobs at the height of World War II to serve their
country as the first American women to fly for the U.S.
military.
The third in the Living History Symposium Series, "Victory in
the Sky" will take place Saturday, April 17 featuring American
Fighter Aces in honor of National Military Month. This elite group
of combat pilots shot down five or more hostile aircraft in
air-to-air combat in World War I and II, as well as Korea and
Vietnam.
During each symposium, Fantasy of Flight will feature "Open
Cockpit Days" during which guests are invited to get up close and
personal with some of America's most rare vintage aircraft and
climb aboard for a once-in-a-lifetime photo opportunity.
The reservations-only luncheon will be held Friday, March 26,
from 1200-1330 at the Orlampa Conference Center at Fantasy of
Flight. Tickets are $65 plus tax per person and include
admission to the afternoon symposium and attraction after the
luncheon. Proceeds from the luncheon will go to Girls Inc., a
national nonprofit youth organization that inspires all girls to be
strong, smart, and bold, and provides vital educational programs to
millions of American girls, particularly those in high-risk,
under-served areas.