EAA and WAI Mark 13 Years of WomenVenture

June 29, 2021

For the 13th year, women attending EAA AirVenture will enjoy a show within a show as a host of WomenVenture activities take place. EAA WomenVenture is an annual celebration of women from all facets of the aviation community.

Activities are scheduled during the week of EAA AirVenture Oshkosh (July 26-August 1) to provide women the opportunity to connect with other women who love aviation and build camaraderie within the EAA and WAI communities.

WAI’s Connect Breakfast, co-sponsored by Avemco and United Airlines, takes place on Wednesday, July 28, starting at 8 a.m., and is held at the Paul H. Poberezny Conference Center (PHP Tent). This event features two female members of the Orbis MD-10 Flying Eye Hospital, pilot Cyndhi Berwyn and mechanic Valerie Sudberg, who will share their stories about volunteering for the global effort to end avoidable blindness in this state-of-the-art flying teaching hospital.

Tickets for the WAI Connect Breakfast may be purchased online for $17 each until July 23 (purchase tickets here: https://www.wai.org/events/wai-connect-breakfast-eaa-airventure), and $20 onsite, as space permits, at the WAI booth, Hangar B-2041. Early registration is encouraged.

Similar to prior years, a free limited-edition blue EAA WomenVenture T-shirt is available to all women (while supplies last). You must register for your complimentary T-shirt by Friday, July 23 at 12 p.m. Central Time to ensure that you receive your requested size. T-shirt pick up will begin on Monday morning at 8 a.m. at your specified location – either in the EAA AirVenture Welcome Center or at the WAI booth in Hangar B-2041. (register for your t-shirt here: https://www.eaa.org/airventure/features-and-attractions/special-events/womenventure).

New for 2021 is the WomenVenture virtual photo opportunity as a way to maintain social distancing. WomenVenture participants will have the ability to send a selfie from their cell phone during AirVenture to receive a free WomenVenture 2021 framed digital version of their photo. Photos submitted will also be used to create a commemorative photo collage that will be available for download after AirVenture 2021. Details for how to send a selfie will be provided during AirVenture.

A WomenVenture Power Lunch will take place at Theater in the Woods, starting at 11:30 a.m. The speaker at the lunch is U.S. Air Force Colonel Allison Black. Tickets are $5 each and include lunch, and registration is required. (Purchase your EAA Power Lunch Ticket here: https://www.eaa.org/airventure/features-and-attractions/special-events/womenventure).

WomenVenture Wednesday concludes with an evening program, also at Theater in the Woods. The theme is Celebrating Those Who Break Boundaries, emceed by Stephanie Stricklen, a student pilot, Emmy award-winning journalist, and EAA social media personality. Some of the panelists will include: Col. Allison Black, U.S. Air Force 24 SOW, AFSOC; Cmdr. Meagan Flannigan, U.S. Navy fighter pilot; Lt. Col. Christina Hopper, U.S. Air Force fighter pilot; Capt. Mary Ann Schaffer, United Airlines system chief pilot; Tammy Barlette, A-10/MQ-1/MQ-9 U.S. Air Force (ret.) drone pilot; Ashli Blain, CH-47/UH-60 firefighter pilot.

For details on the full lineup of WomenVenture programming during AirVenture, visit EAA.org/womenventure. To purchase tickets for the WAI Connect Breakfast, visit https://www.wai.org/events/wai-connect-breakfast-eaa-airventure