Women's Day at EAA AirVenture Oshkosh

Now in its ninth successful year, WomenVenture activities were expanded this year to a week-long event, but Wednesday was declared Women's Day at EAA AirVenture Oshkosh. WomenVenture has provided a way for women to connect at EAA AirVenture Oshkosh while having Oshkosh-style fun at the same time.

WomenVenture Wednesday began at the EAA Nature Center with a sold-out Women in Aviation International Connect breakfast, sponsored by Avemco, and attended by more than 400 enthusiastic showgoers. Sherry Carbary, vice president of Boeing Flight Services, and Jackie Nesselroad, Boeing director of production operations for the Space Launch System New Orleans facility, were the guest speakers.

Later that morning, Alaska Airlines arrived transporting 100 Alaska Airline employees to take part in WomenVenture. The aircraft was used as the background for the annual WomenVenture Group photo.

The group then reformed, joining hundreds of more women, in front of the airplane positioned in Boeing Centennial Plaza, for the largest ever WomenVenture annual group photo. The women, most wearing their WomenVenture T-shirts, filled Boeing Centennial Plaza for this annual event. The WASP had their usual place of honor near the front. The WomenVenture crowd was estimated to be 1,000 strong.

A WomenVenture Power Lunch, held in Theater in the Woods, was next on the day's agenda where women had time to meet and greet and network with one another. The WomenVenture Power Lunch featured keynote speakers Speed & Angels Navy F-14 pilot Lt. Cmdr. Meagan Flannigan, and Navy Combat Veteran Vanessa Christie.

As an added attraction for WomenVenture, Wednesday's airshow opened with Thea Tippin singing the National Anthem and airshow performances by Vicky Benzing, Patty Wagstaff, and Teresa Stokes.

"WomenVenture has transformed the experience of women attending AirVenture," says WAI President Dr. Peggy Chabrian says, "Since its beginning, WomenVenture has motivated and inspired thousands of women. We are grateful to EAA for encouraging women to participate not only in AirVenture but in the hundreds of other sights and sounds of Oshkosh."

For more information about WAI, please contact WAI at (937) 839-4647 or online at wai.org. Molly Martin, Director of Communications