Interviews from this year’s EAA AirVenture Oshkosh and the Spurwink Farms Fly-in and Pancake Breakfast.

Hillel Glazer captured two interviews at the 2023 EAA AirVenture Oshkosh:

Zean Nielsen is the CEO of Cirrus Aircraft. In this follow-up to last year’s interview, we get caught up with current Cirrus directions and plans. Zean succeeded co-founder Dale Klapmeier in 2019. Prior to joining Cirrus, Zean was executive vice president of North American sales for James Hardie Industries, and he held senior marketing executive roles at Tesla.

Zara and Mack Rutherford are two young pilots who flew around the world solo. They each did it independently of the other and in opposite directions. Zara was the youngest female to ever do it (started at age 18, and completed at 19). A year later, her brother, Mack, did it starting at age 16 and finishing at 17, to become the youngest person ever to do it.

Our Main(e) Man Micah recorded interviews at this year’s Spurwink Farm Fly-in and Pancake Breakfast:

John Tait is a retired air traffic controller who has worked in both GA and commercial operations and has some interesting perspectives.

Seth Whidden is a recent high school graduate who earned his PPL and now has an aviation job with Northeast Air, a large FBO at KPWM.

Latin Aerospace Industry Expo

The Expo is organized by the Latino Pilots Association (LPA). The First Annual Latin Aerospace Industry Expo presented by United Airlines will be held on September 15, 2023, at the Gaylord Palms Resort & Convention Center in Kissimmee, Florida.

The LPA is a non-profit organization that was founded in 2015. They aim to inspire, develop, and support the Latino aerospace and aviation communities and eliminate socio-economic barriers through representation, financial support, education, and mentorship. The LPA has over 1,900 active members.

The event kicks off National Hispanic Heritage Month 2023 (Sep 15 – Oct 15). See Expo Fees and the Registration link.

Whirly-Girls Open 2024 Scholarship Season

The Whirly-Girls Scholarship Fund, Inc. announces the opening of the 2024 scholarship season.  Deserving female aviators and maintainers can apply for over $500,000 of helicopter training and educational scholarships. These scholarships advance the helicopter industry by strengthening the talent pool and increasing diversity. Applications are available online and are due October 1, 2023.

Scholarship applications are due October 1, 2023.  Scholarships will be formally presented at the Whirly-Girls Annual Banquet on February 25, 2024, at the HAI HELI-EXPO in Anaheim, CA. For more information on attending the banquet, please visit www.whirlygirls.org.

Hosts

Hillel Glazer, our Main(e) Man Micah, and Max Flight