Wednesdays at AirVenture is WomenVenture day, known mostly as the day that all women and girls are invited to pick up a free tee shirt, gather at the Boeing Plaza, and have a picture taken, which will be featured in various EAA publications. But, much more is going on. Starting last year, the WomenVenture pavilion popped up at the southwest corner of the homebuilt workshop area with various booths, a forum room, and a very nice patio. It is open all week with lots of presentations, usually by women. Today (Wednesday), you could learn about lifesaving missions in wartime evacuations, watch a low pass by an all female Black Hawk crew, hear about the experiences of a National Guard pilot, and get some tips on how to approach your flight physical.
The first highlight event of this day was the “WomenVenture Power Lunch”. This year’s keynote speaker, Tracy Zedeck, gave a well-targeted talk on her remarkable and varied career as a tow pilot, water taxi pilot (her barefoot days), Alaskan bush pilot, and, currently, captain of aerial fire bombers (her “booted” days). Hundreds of AirVenture attendees, mostly women and girls with a smattering of men and boys, ate a great box lunch while listening to Zedeck in the Theater in the Woods. She received a standing ovation in appreciation of both her talk and the accomplishments she reported.
Tonight, another WomenVenture/Theater in the Woods event will be a panel of women talking about using aircraft in service of others. Several firefighting pilots as well as pilots who fly other humanitarian missions will talk about their experiences.
