Flyers From Israel Stop In Oshkosh On US Tour

By Maxine Scheer

An estimated 1,400 international visitors will be coming to Oshkosh this year, and I had the pleasure of meeting members of a group of aviation enthusiasts who made a trip from Israel to experience AirVenture. Their party included thirty-six pilots who flew in twelve aircraft to spend three days inOshkosh.

Ruthie and Anat

The transformative power of aviation has no geographic boundaries. I had the pleasure of learning the stories of two wonderful women in this group who found aviation as a means of overcoming personal challenges. Ruthie discovered aviation three years ago at the age of 55. Ruthie learned about aviation while helping her daughter in memorizing procedures as part of military training. Her daughter is now a military aviator. Ruthie described how she surprised her daughter with the news after completing her certification.

Part of the Israeli Group Visiting AirVenture

Ruthie beamed as she told her story: "I was recovering from breast cancer while I was helping my daughter. I found the subject interesting. So at age 55 I said to myself, I must fulfill my dreams now. I drew my courage from my recovery and said to myself: This is my dream and I'm going to do it!"  And she did. Ruthie invested her time over two years and earned her private pilot certificate. Israel is a small country with only three airports that accommodate general aviation activity. Ruthie estimates having flown over 250 hours over the last three years.

Anat sat quietly and told me about her story. She used to be afraid of flying, even in a commercial aircraft. So she decided to learn about the physics of flight and was inspired to give personal flying a try. Anat earned her private pilot certificated in 1998 and has over 300 hours. Anat has a child with a physical disability and conveyed the sense of understanding of how the ability to overcome her own fears was important to her family. This was Anat's first trip to the U.S. She operates a website that provides ideas for children's activities in Israel.

Moti and Chris

For other members of the group it was a reunion. Moti is in the aerospace business and one of his customers, Chris, frequently comes to Oshkosh. Friends who had moved from Israel to the US joined them in Oshkosh. Unfortunately, FAA does not honor the Israeli private pilot certificate, so some of the pilots were accompanied by a US CFI as they flew from Virginia to Oshkosh, with many stops along the way.

Thank you for sharing your stories and we hope you enjoyed your AirVenture experience.

FMI: www.4kids.co.il