2020 Inductees to the Women in Aviation Hall of Fame

By Eric Morris | Published: December 13, 2019
collage of Maj. Gen. Jeannie Leavitt, Patricia “Patty” Jean Wagner, and U.S. Army’s First Women Rotary Wing Aviators

credit: Pioneer Hall of Fame

The 31st Annual International Women in Aviation Conference will be held March 5-7, 2020 at Disney’s Coronado Springs Resort in Lake Buena Vista, Florida to honor the 2020 inductees. The Class of 2020 are women who’ve made momentous contributions as record setters, pioneers, or innovators. These individuals or groups have either helped other women become successful in the aviation industry or have paved the way with more opportunities for other women. Our aviation crew at the Sheffield School of Aeronautics are happy to report on the 2020 inductees to the Women in Aviation Hall of Fame.

Maj. Gen. Jeannie Leavitt

As Commander of the Air Force Recruiting Service, Joint Base San Antonio-Randolph, Texas, Maj. Gen. Jeannie Leavitt made history as its first female fighter pilot. In 2016, she became the first woman to lead the 57th Wing at Nellis Air Force Base in Nevada, and in June 2018, she succeeded Maj. Gen. Garrett Harencack in Air Force recruiting, [1] earning her place as one of the 2020 inductees to the Women in Aviation Hall of Fame.

Maj. Gen. Leavitt has served more than 25 years in the Air Force with over 3,000 hours in flight and an included 300 hours of combat flight in Afghanistan and Iraq with operational events such as Operation Southern Watch, Northern Watch, Iraqi Freedom, and Enduring Freedom. [2]

Patricia “Patty” Jean Wagner

As an airshow icon, a multi-rated pilot, and dedicated WAI volunteer, Patricia “Patty” Jean Wagner has been inducted into the Women in Aviation Class of 2020. After 50 years of exhibiting professionalism, skill, and aviation know-how, Wagner earned the FAA Master Pilot Award in 2019.

Patty also started a critically acclaimed airshow wing-riding act along with her husband, Bob, called A Girl on the Wing. Over the course of six years after their first flight, Bob and Patty performed their airshow full-time and have performed in 47 states, Quebec, British Columbia, and other Canadian provinces and in South America.

U.S. Army’s First Women Rotary Wing Aviators

Consisting of nine female helicopter pilots, the U.S. Army’s First Women Rotary Wing Aviators includes Lieutenants Sally Murphy, Linda Horan DuMoulin, Susan Dunwoody Schoeck, Beverly Birkholtz, and Warrant Officers Jennie Vallance, Diane Dowd, Susan Boring, Lavern Farnsworth, and Mary Reid.

These four lieutenants and five warrant officers proved there’s a place for women in military aviation and widened the path for future generations of women in the Army. Throughout the 1970s, these inspirational women demonstrated the pioneering spirit, determination, and bravery that earned them a place in U.S. Army aviation.

 

The induction ceremony will be held on Saturday, March 7, 2020, followed by the conference’s closing Celebration Dinner. If you’d like to learn more about women in aviation or want to enroll in our air traffic controller school for an FAA flight dispatcher license, contact a member of our aviation crew at 954-581-6022 today!

 

 

Sources:

[1] U.S. Air Force – Major General Jeannie M. Leavitt

[2] Women in Aviation International – Maj. Gen. Jeannie Leavitt

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