WomenVenture Begins its Second Decade at EAA AirVenture Oshkosh
Now in its 11thyear, WomenVenture, a partnership between EAA and Women in Aviation International, will take place at EAA AirVenture Oshkosh all week long. Starting on Monday, July 23, 2018, AirVenture’s opening day, is a WomenVenture ice cream social, sponsored by Endeavor Air. Registration is requested (at eaa.org) for this event, held in Forum Building 9 from 5:30 p.m. to 7 p.m.
“WomenVenture sets the tone and spirit for so many of us in Oshkosh each year, with the extraordinary sense of comradery, belonging, and friendship,” says Dr. Chabrian. “WomenVenture means a great deal to many women who come to enjoy all that Oshkosh has to offer.”
The WomenVenture event for Tuesday is an Aviation Appreciation dinner, held at the EAA Nature Center at 6 pm, presented by the Ninety-Nines. The dinner will feature Allan Schrader, CEO of Lightspeed. Tickets are required.
Wednesday begins with WAI’s annual Connect Breakfast, sponsored by Avemco and MzeroA.com, held this year in EAA’s PHP tent just outside the main gate, beginning at 8 a.m. This is a new location for the breakfast. “We’ll start your day with networking and inspiration,” says Dr. Chabrian. Lt. Col. (retired) Olga E. Custodio, the first female Hispanic U.S. military pilot, and Dianne White, executive director of Malibu/M-Class Owners & Pilots Association, are the featured speakers. Advance tickets can be purchased online until July 22 for $17 each (at wai.org/events/eaa-airventure.)
A limited-edition WomenVenture T-shirt is available to all women who participate in the WomenVenture group photo (while supplies last). T-shirts can be picked up beginning the morning of Monday, July 23 at the AirVenture Welcome Center, the Women in Aviation International booth in Hangar B (Booth 2041), and the Ninety-Nines Inc. booth, also in Hangar B.
The photo is expected this year to include 1,000 women, gathered in Boeing Plaza. The camera clicks at 11 a.m. so arriving a little early is recommended.
WomenVenture continues after the photo with a WomenVenture Power Lunch, held at 11:30 a.m. in EAA’s Theater in the Woods. The featured speaker is Heather Penney, a senior resident fellow at the Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies. Lunch tickets are $5.
“Celebrating Powerful Pilots” is the theme for Wednesday evening’s program, at EAA’s Theater in the Woods. Running from 6:00 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. (to conclude in time for EAA’s night air show), the discussion will be led by retired-Lt. Col. Olga Custodio and feature Heather Penney who is best known as one of a handful of fighter pilots scrambled in response to the terrorist attacks of 9/11; Lt. Gen. Stayce Harris, a command pilot who’s flown C-130s, KC-135Rs, and C-141s in addition to the T-37 and T-38 flown in training; and Capt. Jessica Hodson, a KC-10 instructor pilot in the U.S. Air Force Reserve, and her all-female crew.
Future UPS pilot Taylor Peeff, age 11, will also be in attendance. Last year, when Peeff was 10, she spent a day immersed in aviation as part of UPS’s Wishes Delivered campaign. She spent time in an A300 simulator, learned how to marshal an airplane, and logged her first dual instruction in a flight in a Beech Baron. UPS produced a video highlighting her day, which quickly went viral, garnering nearly 5 million views on Facebook alone.
“Once more, we thank EAA for being our partner and making WomenVenture possible,” says Dr. Chabrian. “WomenVenture adds that much more fun to a week that’s already chock full of activity.”
For details on the full lineup of WomenVenture programming during AirVenture visit www.EAA.org/womenventure.
