NEWS RELEASE 08-09
August 1, 2008
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
At 10:30 am, August 1, in AeroShell Square the complexion of EAA AirVenture 2008 changed - to pink. Anyone in the vicinity found their way blocked by a sea of pink-shirted women that covered the concrete from the KC 135 tanker to the Ford Tri-Motor to the DC-3s. An estimated 1,000 women pilots turned up to be seen and photographed in an effort to set a record for the largest gathering of women pilots in one place at one time, ever.
"This idea, conceived by WAI member Patricia Luebke, has taken off," said Elissa LInes, V.P. of Development for EAA. "We hope the sheer number of us gathered here today will inspire other women and girls to take a chance on aviation or even just to try out flying for fun, or more."
So, who was there? Julie Clark, Debbie Rihn-Harvey, Jill Long, Jacquie Warda, Patty Wagstaff, all air show greats, stood shoulder-to-shoulder with Women Airforce Service Pilots who ferried WWII aircraft and trained cadets in the 1940s, as well as engineers, such as Anna Mracek-Dietrich (Terrafugia) and educators, including Dr. Peggy Chabrian, President of Women in Aviation, International. Where did they come from? All over the U.S., and from abroad, too. Michelle Bassanesi, a flight instructor, flew in from Rome, Italy, where she teaches, just to be counted. Another flew in her 1996 Pulsar (which she built, and she has flown for 1,000) from Oregon, to be at AirVenture this year. Two other women teamed up and arrived for the first time on their own in a Cessna 172. Denise Waters, an A&P mechanic and constant volunteer in the EAA KidVenture tent, came to honor the spirit that drove her to build a Wheeler Express with her father.
And what did they prove? That women who fly and several who build, come to EAA AirVenture, and in numbers that can influence the next generation of general aviation pilots. "We hope to inspire girls and women to follow their dreams, just as we have," said Dr. Chabrian. "Keep your pink shirts on today," she encouraged the crowd, "so that people can see just how many of us there really are."
Women in Aviation, International is a nonprofit 501(C)(3) organization dedicated to providing networking, mentoring and scholarship opportunities for women and men who are striving for challenging and fulfilling careers in the aviation and aerospace industries. For more information about the Conference and about WAI, contact WAI at 3647 State Route 503 South, West Alexandria, OH 45381, Phone (937) 839-4647; Fax (937) 839-4645 or through www.wai.org.
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Contact:
Connie Lawrence
Women in Aviation International
937-839-4647 Phone
937-839-4645 Fax