As part of WomenFly!, The Museum of Flight’s annual Women’s History Month event, an international panel of women pilots will share their experiences in the world of aviation March 6. This year’s panel includes women pilots from almost every continent. Their experiences include flights in the Australian outback, Alaskan wilderness, Antarctic slopes, African plains and the urban landscapes of Europe, Japan, South Africa and the United States. The program is at 2 p.m. in the William M. Allen Theater, and is free with admission to the museum.
Scheduled to appear are:
- Michelle Bassanesi (Italy), the founder of Aviation and Women in Europe. She is a flight instructor with experience flying paragliders, hang gliders and airplanes.
- Kajuju Laiboni (Kenya), co-founder of Women Aviators in Africa
- Refilwe Ledwaba (South Africa), co-founder of Women Aviators in Africa, in 2006 Ledwaba became the first black woman helicopter pilot for the South African Police Service Air Wing.
- Harumi Sato (Japan), a flight instructor who has flown as a commercial pilot in the United States and as an airline pilot in Japan.
- Fran West (Australia), the first woman pilot to circumnavigate mainland Australia in a light aircraft. She is also an author, photographer and motivational speaker.
- Capt. Jennie Steldt (United States), a United States Air Force pilot who flew the first C-17 Globemaster airdrop on Antarctica.
- Lt. Karina Miranda (Chile), a fighter pilot in the Chilean Air Force.
The non-profit Museum of Flight is one of the largest independent air and space museums in the world. The Museum’s collection includes more than 150 historically significant air- and spacecraft, as well as the William E. Boeing Red Barn — the original manufacturing facility of the Boeing Co.
For more information: 206-764-5720 or MuseumOfFight.org
