Purdue News

September 25, 1998 Purdue Aviation Celebration ready for takeoff WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. -- Purdue University's rich aviation heritage and significant contemporary role in modern aerospace will be recognized during the Purdue Aviation Celebration, a spectrum of events and programs set for Oct. 17-20. Among highlights of the four days of activities will be an airport open house, an aviation career symposium, the opening of a touring national photographic exhibition on women and flight, and a special arrival ceremony for participant Linda Finch, the pilot and aviation historian who last year re-created Amelia Earhart's global flight with World Flight 1997. Several of the scheduled events are sponsored by Pratt & Whitney, a unit of United Technologies Corp., a leading manufacturer of aircraft engines and space propulsion. "When it comes to aviation, both Purdue and Pratt & Whitney were first in their fields and remain leaders today," said Jennifer Riggs, Pratt & Whitney senior human resources adviser and coordinator of Finch's visit to campus and related activities. "We supported Linda Finch last year in her global flight because she reminded us all of Amelia Earhart's belief in the possibility of dreams, while introducing a new generation of young Americans to a heroic adventure. It's wonderful to bring Linda to campus to help celebrate and remember Amelia's special legacy with Purdue." On March 17, 1997, Finch took to the skies in her vintage Lockheed Electra 10E, restored to resemble the aircraft Earhart used in her ill-fated attempt to circle the world, a trip that began on the same day 60 years earlier. Earhart recorded many firsts in aviation history, but in 1937, as she attempted the first round-the-world flight via the equator, her plane disappeared after takeoff from New Guinea, 22,000 miles into the 29,000-mile journey. It was never found. From 1935 to 1937, Earhart was a part-time Purdue staff member, a consultant on women's careers. Her Lockheed Electra 10E was paid for in part by gift funds from the Purdue Research Foundation, and she often flew the aircraft to Purdue Airport, the first university-owned airport in the nation, as she prepared for her global flight. Pratt & Whitney Wasp engines were used in both Earhart's and Finch's Electras. The Purdue Aviation Celebration highlights, all free and open to the public, are: Aviation Spectacular, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 17, at the Purdue Airport (rain date is Sunday, Oct. 18). The Department of Aviation Technology's annual open house will include two air show performances, to be held between 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. and 5 p.m. Also planned are fly-bys of vintage aircraft, educational displays and demonstrations, and a range of parked aircraft available for a closer look -- from Warbirds to Purdue's Boeing 727 jet. Refreshments will be sold. A $2 fee to park on nearby intramural athletic fields will cover the cost of regrooming the fields for student sports activities. Linda Finch welcoming ceremony, 3 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 18, at Purdue Airport. Finch will land her Lockheed Electra 10E and will be welcomed by Purdue President Steven C. Beering and other dignitaries in a ceremony that will resemble what might have taken place six decades earlier if Earhart had safely returned to Purdue after her global flight. Dorothy Cochrane, curator of the Aeronautics Department of the National Air and Space Museum, will give keynote remarks on "Amelia Remembered 61 Years Later." After the ceremony, Finch will answer questions about World Flight and her aircraft. In the event of inclement weather, the ceremony will be held in a nearby hangar. Campus reception for Finch, 7:30 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 18, at Earhart Hall. Gallery reception for the opening of "Women and Flight," a Smithsonian traveling exhibition to be on display in Purdue Galleries' Stewart Center Gallery through Nov. 25, 4:30-5:30 p.m. Monday, Oct. 19, in the West Foyer, Stewart Center. Among those giving remarks will be Jack Leary, Pratt & Whitney senior vice president, human resources and organization, and Dorothy Cochrane, representing the Smithsonian Institution and Carolyn Russo, National Air and Space Museum photographer. The exhibition features 75 black-and-white photographs by Russo of women pilots, with quotes and biographical sketches profiling 37 women aviators and astronauts. Among them is Mary Ellen Weber, a Purdue alumna and NASA shuttle astronaut. Organized by the National Air and Space Museum and the Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service (SITES), "Women and Flight" is supported by Pratt & Whitney and United Technologies Corp. with additional support provided by the Ilford Corp. and the Smithsonian Women's Committee. Career symposium, 5:30-7 p.m. Monday, Oct. 19, at Loeb Playhouse, Stewart Center. A panel of five aerospace female executives will discuss personal experiences and career tips, and answer questions. Finch will be the moderator, and panelists will be Carolyn Corvi, vice president for aircraft systems and interiors for the Boeing Co., representing manufacturing careers; Celia Sherbeck, director of power plant for Air Canada, representing commercial airlines and general management careers; June Viviano, duty officer and assistant chief pilot for Federal Express, representing alternative flying careers and operations management; Caroline Vandedrinck, general manager-Africa, Pratt & Whitney, representing engineering and marketing careers; and attorney Joanne Young, partner with Baker-Hostetler, LLC, representing trade and legal affairs careers. Reception for panelists, 7-8 p.m. in the West Foyer, Stewart Center, which will provide an opportunity for Purdue students to visit with the panelists informally along with more than 10 Pratt & Whitney engineering executives and recruitment staff. While at Purdue, Finch also will interact with groups of Greater Lafayette school children who will visit her and her Lockheed Electra at the Purdue Airport and learn of the background of her flight and the "You Can Soar" educational component of the initiative. Purdue's Special Collections Library, renowned for its collection of Earhart memorabilia, also will display selected items during the celebration from 8 a.m.-5 p.m. weekdays in its public display area, Room 279, Stewart Center. Special Collections' staff also will have a display table at the outreach program for school children. As the Purdue Aviation Celebration winds down on Tuesday, Oct. 20, Finch will depart in her Lockheed Electra 10E, and make several passes over the heart of the West Lafayette campus at approximately 10:20 a.m. to bid farewell and to further remember the ties between Earhart and Purdue. Source: Riggs, (901) 753-2842; e-mail, riggsja@pweh.com Writer: Greg Zawisza, (765) 494-2086; e-mail, greg_zawisza@purdue.edu Purdue News Service: (765) 494-2096; e-mail, purduenews@purdue.edu To the Purdue News and Photos Page