All-Women Oregon International Airshow 2022
The #shefliesoregon All Women Air Show in Hillsboro, OR this weekend was MAGICAL. With an all-female lineup of performers, air bosses, safety officers, and announcers, it was a weekend full of concentrated girl power. From my hotel lobby packed with women in green flight suits, to static display pilots, mechanics, and crews, inspiration was everywhere.
We were fortunate to have perfect weather in an idyllic setting that felt more like garden party in wine country than a typical densely crowded, blazing hot air show. It had a friendly, small town feel with world class performances from both the Navy and Air Force F-35(A&C) Lightning II with Maj Kristin “Beo” Wolfe and LT Jacqui “Jungle” Drew at the controls, F/A 18 Super Hornet with LT Amanda “Stalin” Lee, a Blackhawk demo, and flybys from several other military aircraft. The “Misty Blues” skydiving team brought in the flag under their pink and blue parachutes, and the sky dancing aerobatic performances included pilots Melissa Burns, the youngest-ever and four-time U.S. Unlimited Team member, Vicky Benzing, accomplished aero pilot and parachute jumper in her 1940 Stearman, and Ukranian Anna Serbinenko, who, in addition to being a class 1 aerobatic instructor, holds a PhD in financial mathematics and speaks seven languages.
Among the many things I loved about this show was the thoughtfully crafted music lineup, with songs like ‘Run the World’, ‘Girl on Fire’, and ‘Ave Maria’ for Anna Sebrinenko’s graceful sky ballet. If you’ve been to airshows, you know what a significant departure this is from the standard homogenous rock/metal lineup. Music is an important element in my novel-in-progress, and this show brought my fantasies to life—the music I’ve heard in my head as I’ve created this fictional world over many years filled the air for the two days I was there.
My eldest son and daughter-in-law drove down from Seattle, and my long-time copilot and friend, Greg Parsons, brought his family, and we sat in the grass with my more recent friend, Cecilia Aragon (aerobatic performer and instructor, the first Latina member of the U.S. National Aerobatic team, and author of FLYING FREE) who shared her insider perspective on the performances (and offered invaluable critique on the accuracy of my novel.) I did my Aviatrix Writer ‘groupie’ thing with Merryl Tengesdal, retired USAF U-2 pilot, who thoughtfully engaged with and inspired the crowd while signing copies of her book SHATTER THE SKY at the Ninety-Nines booth. We closed down the show on Saturday evening, hanging out on the wing of an F-15 with a bunch of pilots and performers, sampling Maverick impersonator “California Tom Cruise’s” bottle of peanut butter whiskey (which, surprisingly, tasted pretty good).
The BEST parts of the show were the camaraderie and inspiration among women in all phases of their aviation journeys, and the countless heartwarming moments when women in every color flight suit and uniform knelt down to get on eye-level with the hundreds of little girls in the audience. I can’t find the words to describe the joy and impact of these scenes. It’s one thing to witness this at a show where there are maybe one or two women performers and a few static displays, but the exponential power of this critical mass of women all in one place, lifting one another, and pulling the next generation along, was absolutely mind-blowing.
