In honor of the significant impact women have made to aviation in Oklahoma and to industry, the Oklahoma Department of Aerospace and Aeronautics in community partnership with the 137th Special Operations Wing, the Oklahoma National Guard, Will Rogers World Airport, the Oklahoma Air and Space Forces Association, the Oklahoma Defense Industry Association and United Dynamics Aerospace and Defense will commemorate the state’s seventh annual Oklahoma Women in Aviation & Aerospace Day with an in-person luncheon at the 137th Special Operations Wing Oklahoma National Guard base.
Organizers and industry leaders will welcome honored guest Col. (Ret.) Eileen Collins, the Oklahoma Aviation and Aerospace Day Woman of the Year, a former military instructor and test pilot and the first female pilot and first female commander of a space shuttle. Collins is the author of the book released in 2021: Through the Glass Ceiling to the Stars: The Story of the First American Woman to Command a Space Mission.
Attendees will enjoy a keynote address from Lt. Heather “Lucky” Penney. Most widely recognized for her service on September 11, Penney was part of the pioneering first wave of women who entered fighters directly from pilot training. Lucky was the first and only woman in the 121st Fighter Squadron during her time flying the F-16, conducting combat air patrols over Washington DC and deploying to combat twice. Penney is a defense policy expert at the Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies in Arlington, Virginia.
If you would like to enhance your experience with a sponsorship or would like to customize a package, contact Sandra Shelton at sshelton@oac.ok.gov.
