The 21st Annual Women in Aviation Conference, slated for Feb. 25 -27, 2010, has as its theme “Aviation: It’s a Small World.” With the conference based at Disney’s Coronado Springs Resort in Buena Vista, Florida, “It’s a Small World” is appropriate. Currently, attendees represent a dozen countries worldwide, according to WAI officials.
FAA Administrator Randolph Babbitt and National Transportation Safety Board Chairman Deborah Hersman are confirmed speakers, as well as Suzanna Darcy-Hennemann, chief pilot and director of training, Boeing Commercial Airplane Services; Anna Mracek Dietrich, COO, Terrafugia; Denise Wilson, CAM, president and chief pilot, Desert Jet; and Carol Ann Garratt and Carol Foy, two pilots who flew around the world in a Mooney to raise funds for ALS (Lou Gehrig’s disease) research.
“Advance registrations are on par where we were last year at this time,” said WAI President Peggy Chabrian. “This speaks to the dedication of WAI members and the importance the conference plays in their professional and personal lives.”
For the third year, 2010 conference attendance is approved as training for FAA employees, WAI officials note.
As with past conferences, attendees will have a selection of educational seminars on a wide variety of topics ranging from professional development to aviation history. A group of five women will be inducted into WAI’s Pioneer Hall of Fame.
Side trips before and after the conference offer an opportunity to visit Fantasy of Flight to see a B-26 Marauder, B-24 Liberator, a Curtiss TP40 and two P51 Mustangs, among other exhibits, as well as two separate Disney experiences: “Disney by Design” and “Innovation in Action.” Discounted and other special tickets are available for conference attendees who wish to visit a Disney theme park before, during, or after the conference.
For more information: WAI.org.
