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| Spreading Wings: Collins, Wagstaff and Warner Key to Our Future | Oct '08 |
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| Greg Anderson, President & CEO |
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Wings Over the Rockies Air & Space Museum
This year's Spreading Wings Gala, to be held on Nov. 8, will be as inspiring as ever, honoring three individuals as deserving as their predecessors: Carl Williams, Burt Rutan, Chuck Yeager and Steve Fossett. But this year's event will also be different and meaningful in several ways. We'll be honoring three individuals, not one. Each is unique and worthy of the distinguished "Spreading Wings" award. But taken together, they represent a moment in history, an inspiration for millions, and an opportunity for all of us to celebrate and expand what aviation and space mean to our way of life.
We'll be honoring the "First Ladies of Air & Space," three women who represent the pinnacle of achievement in space, general and commercial aviation. Unique in style and personality, they all share a passion for flight, and for sharing it with others, especially young people.
Eileen Collins
The first woman commander and pilot of the space shuttle, Eileen Collins is a veteran of four space flights, logging 872 hours in space. Her NASA career included a rendezvous with the Russian Space Station Mir, satellite deployments, spacewalks, experiments, docking with the International Space Station and telescope studies of the universe.
Eileen has nearly 7,000 military flight hours in 30 aircraft, including instructor time in T-38s. She was on the faculty at the U.S. Air Force Academy, teaching math and aerospace studies. Her extensive academic credentials include a master of arts in space systems management from Webster University.
Like many astronauts, Collins is an all-American personality, managing multiple professional and personal responsibilities. She's also a proud "golf mom," which I realized when she answered some of my calls while supporting her son at golf tournaments. She also believes strongly in education, and she enjoys speaking with teachers and students whenever she can.
Patty Wagstaff
The first woman U.S. National Aerobatic Champion won the title not once, but three times, consecutively. Her meteoric rise in aerobatic achievement has been sustained over many years as one of the world's most popular air show pilots. Her airplane, the Goodrich Extra 260, resides in the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum.
Her background in general aviation is broad. She's earned commercial, instrument, seaplane and commercial helicopter ratings. She's a flight and instrument instructor, and is rated in warbirds and jets. She's a strong advocate for aviation. Among her many humanitarian interests, she has traveled to Africa to train pilots to prevent wildlife poaching.
Wagstaff loves the rush of speed, the thrill of creating artistry in flight and getting the most out of each unique moment in the air. While out-competing men, she's honored to represent women, and always looks for ways to encourage others.
Emily Howell Warner
The first woman pilot of a major scheduled U.S. commercial airline is Colorado's own Emily Warner. Three years after Frontier Airlines hired her, Warner earned her captain's wings, the first woman to do so.
Amassing more than 21,000 flight hours, Warner's aviation career began in 1958. She earned experience by hard work through 15 years in FBOs, from work behind the counter, to line service, flight instruction, chief pilot, flight school manager and FAA pilot examiner. Not only a heroine to many women who followed her example into commercial aviation, Warner instructed many in Colorado's aviation community, and she probably has a story about someone you know.
Don't mistake Warner's mild manner and grace for the determination and commitment that secured her first lady status. Today, she tirelessly encourages other women and finds great satisfaction in motivating young girls to enter aviation.
Golden opportunity
This year's event also represents a golden opportunity to address a critical problem facing our aviation and engineering communities—both communities are too small. The aviation community is vulnerable to political, regulatory, land development and financial pressures. The engineering community doesn't have enough college graduates to replace retirees, much less provide growth, which is threatening American technological leadership in aerospace and other fields.
One of our best opportunities to renew growth in these communities is one we've least realized—we've largely ignored half of our population. Did you know that only 6 percent of all licensed pilots are women? Or that only 15 percent of all aerospace engineers are women? Imagine the potential for growth if we were more proactive in recognizing and reaching out to women and girls with the benefits of aviation and space.
Proceeds from the Spreading Wings Gala will sustain the educational mission of the museum, including a new outreach initiative designed to inspire interest in elementary school students. The Wings Aviation Science Program is an eight-unit, hands-on curriculum proven in 350 schools around the country. With rights for the Rocky Mountain region, Wings Over the Rockies has customized the program for Colorado standards and begun training teachers to optimize learning in critical math and science subjects.
In 2008, Wings prepared to distribute WASP kits to 50 schools, but teacher response has exceeded supplies. By year-end, more than 70 schools and 100 teachers throughout Colorado will be trained to use the program. In 2009, those figures will double, allowing classroom outreach to up to 13,000 students in all corners of our state.
Be there
The master of ceremonies for this event will be Amelia Earhart, Sky9 traffic reporter. A steering committee, led by Cathey Finlon, honorary chair, is hard at work promoting table and event sponsorships and ticket sales for this historic event.
For more information and reservations, visit www.Blacktie-Colorado.com, call Wings Over the Rockies (303-360-5360 ext 110) or contact any of the following volunteers: Tom Allee, Greg Anderson, Cary Baird, Linda Chowdry, Terry Combs, Jack Cronin, Cathy Dea, Gene and Judy Dessel, Dave Dickerson, David Ebershoff, Jo Farrell, Di Freeze, Kevin Hougen, Charlie Johnson, Lindsay Kough, Lynn Krogh, Harry Lewis, Peter Luce, Joanne Maguire, Tom and Diane Marsh, Scott and Jody Nycum, Robert Olislagers, John Pritzlaff, Jody Randall, Katie Stapleton, Holly Shilliday, Harold and Diane Smethills, Terry Stevinson, Joe Thibodeau, Emily Warner, Turner West, Pat and Janet Wiesner, Carl Williams and John Zayac.
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