TOP WOMEN PILOTS, FLYING THE GOODYEAR BLIMP, AND MORE PART OF EAA MUSEUM’s 2020 SPEAKER SERIES

EAA AVIATION CENTER, OSHKOSH, Wisconsin — (January 13, 2020) — Aviators who fly some of the world’s most notable aircraft and have extraordinary personal stories are among those who are part of the 2020 Aviation Adventure Speaker Series at the EAA Aviation Museum in Oshkosh.

This monthly series shares these fascinating people and stories with audiences inside the Founders’ Wing of the museum, which in 2018 was chosen by CNN Travel as one of the world’s top 20 aviation museums. These presentations are free for EAA members and just $5 for nonmembers.

The 2020 speaker series includes:

Thursday, January 16: Scott Blue of TV’s Ice Pilots series – The hit TV show features pilots such as Scott flying for Buffalo Airways, which flies vintage cargo aircraft in extreme conditions that reach 70 degrees-below zero in northern Canada. Scott has also flown firefighting aircraft and air tankers.

Thursday, February 20: Flying B-29 Doc – Sean Elliott is one of only a handful of pilots in the world certified to fly the B-29 Superfortress, the final iconic bomber of the World War II era. He will describe the experience of flying the aircraft, while EAA’s Chris Henry will highlight the crews that flew the aircraft in combat.

Thursday, March 19: A-10 pilot Kim Campbell – The airplane affectionately known as the “Warthog” is a highly regarded combat aircraft, and Campbell will share her journey as a pilot that includes flying the A-10 on missions for the U.S. Air Force.

Thursday, April 16: Larry Mauro, builder/pilot of the Solar Riser – Building the first solar-powered aircraft has opportunities and challenges like none other, especially in the low-tech 1970s. Larry talks about the concept and development of this unique aircraft, which is returning to the EAA museum collection.

Thursday, May 21: Flying the Goodyear Blimp – Few aircraft in the world are as well known as the Goodyear airships, as their presence over sporting events and other major happenings have made them “blimp worthy” for a half-century. The crews of this venerable aircraft come to Oshkosh to talk about it.

Thursday, June 18: The F-4 Phantom over Vietnam – Col. Richard Graham takes his audience through the air war over Vietnam, both on air-to-air combat missions and on the surface-to-air missile suppression missions as part of the “Wild Weasels” flights.

Thursday, August 20: Christina “Thumper” Hopper and the F-16 – One of America’s first African-American female fighter pilots shares her story of flying military jets as well as the capabilities of the renowned Fighting Falcon jet, a bellwether in the U.S. military arsenal for 40 years.

Thursday, September 17: Fighter pilots Sharon “Betty” Preszler and Kate “Jiga” Lowe – Preszler was one of the initial women chosen as fighter pilots for the U.S. Air Force and was the first woman to fly the F-16 in combat and later instruct in the jet. Lowe earned a highly coveted slot in the Euro-NATO Joint Jet Pilot Training Program.

Thursday, October 15: Distinguished Flying Cross recipient Melissa May – May is one of only a handful of women to earn the award, following a night mission over Baghdad where her flight came under heavy anti-aircraft and missile attack. She has flown combat missions over both Iraq and Libya.

Thursday, November 19: Miss America Race Team – The highly modified P-51 Mustang is one of the world’s fastest propeller-driven aircraft and is among the top Unlimited category contenders each year at the National Championship Air Races in Reno, Nevada. Its crew will be in Oshkosh talk about flying and maintaining this aviation thoroughbred.

All presentations begin at 7 p.m. There are no speaker series presentations in July or December.

The EAA Aviation Museum is located just off Interstate 41 at the Highway 44 exit in Oshkosh. The museum is open daily from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. EAA members receive free museum admission year-round. For more information, call the EAA Aviation Museum at (920) 426-6108 or visit EAA.org/museum.