The New England Air Museum will hold its annual event, Women Take Flight, on Saturday, March 2, 2024 from 10AM – 3PM. The museum’s family friendly celebration of women in aerospace features hands-on activities, flight simulators, open cockpit experiences in historic aircraft, lectures, and opportunities to meet local women in the aerospace industry.
This year’s event features Terry VandenDolder as keynote speaker. Lieutenant Colonel Teresa (Terry) VandenDolder served 28 years in the U.S. Air Force and has been a pilot for American Airlines for 34 years. She began her flying career through the Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC) program at the University of Connecticut and was among only 11 ROTC women chosen nationally for Air Force pilot training that year. After college graduation Terry attended pilot training at Laughlin AFB in Texas, where, as the only woman in a class of 76, she graduated in the top 10%.
Women Take Flight will also give visitors the opportunity to meet women pilots, engineers, and aerospace professionals from across the region. Exhibitors include the 103rd Airlift Wing Connecticut Air National Guard; 377th Airlift Squadron & 439th AMXS of Westover; CT Army National Guard; Bombardier Hartford Service Center; Collins Aerospace; Connecticut Soaring Association; CT Veterans Legal Center; Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA) Chapter 166; Kaman Corporation; Lauralton Hall Wright Sisters Engineering Team; Pratt & Whitney WISE; Pratt & Whitney SEAG; New England Section of the 99’s; Sikorsky; Space Foundation; Society of Women Engineers Hartford; UConn Mechanical Engineering Department; Women of Aeronautics and Astronautics – WPI Chapter; Women in Transportation Seminar CT; and the Women in Aviation International, Chapter 56.
All events (excluding flight sims and food truck) are included with museum admission. Admission is $23 for ages 15 and up, $18 for ages 65 and up, and $13 for youth ages 4-14. New England Air Museum members and children under 3 are free. More information and a full event schedule here.
