Sat, Jul 31, 2010
Flyers From Israel Stop In Oshkosh On US Tour
By Maxine Scheer
An estimated 1,400 international visitors will be coming to
Oshkosh this year, and I had the pleasure of meeting members of a
group of aviation enthusiasts who made a trip from Israel to
experience AirVenture. Their party included thirty-six pilots who
flew in twelve aircraft to spend three days inOshkosh.
Ruthie and Anat
The transformative power of aviation has no geographic
boundaries. I had the pleasure of learning the stories of two
wonderful women in this group who found aviation as a means of
overcoming personal challenges. Ruthie discovered aviation three
years ago at the age of 55. Ruthie learned about aviation while
helping her daughter in memorizing procedures as part of military
training. Her daughter is now a military aviator. Ruthie described
how she surprised her daughter with the news after completing her
certification.
Part of the Israeli Group Visiting AirVenture
Ruthie beamed as she told her story: "I was recovering from
breast cancer while I was helping my daughter. I found the subject
interesting. So at age 55 I said to myself, I must fulfill my
dreams now. I drew my courage from my recovery and said to myself:
This is my dream and I'm going to do it!" And she did. Ruthie
invested her time over two years and earned her private pilot
certificate. Israel is a small country with only three airports
that accommodate general aviation activity. Ruthie estimates having
flown over 250 hours over the last three years.
Anat sat quietly and told me about her story. She used to be
afraid of flying, even in a commercial aircraft. So she decided to
learn about the physics of flight and was inspired to give personal
flying a try. Anat earned her private pilot certificated in 1998
and has over 300 hours. Anat has a child with a physical disability
and conveyed the sense of understanding of how the ability to
overcome her own fears was important to her family. This was Anat's
first trip to the U.S. She operates a website that provides ideas
for children's activities in Israel.
Moti and Chris
For other members of the group it was a reunion. Moti is in the
aerospace business and one of his customers, Chris, frequently
comes to Oshkosh. Friends who had moved from Israel to the US
joined them in Oshkosh. Unfortunately, FAA does not honor the
Israeli private pilot certificate, so some of the pilots were
accompanied by a US CFI as they flew from Virginia to Oshkosh, with
many stops along the way.
Thank you for sharing your stories and we hope you enjoyed your
AirVenture experience.
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