Or... "A Face-Melting Dose Of Aviation And Estrogen!"

By Gina Doughty

Sometimes the best quotes come from people who aren't speaking for a crowd. There were great speakers at the WAI Atlanta conference, and a couple of them are quoted here, but most of these are overheard conversations from the exhibit hall:

Marine: "Try the pull up bar. Get prizes, VIP passes..."
Member: [Warily] "VIP passes to what?"
Marine: "That's the surprise!"

"I love being a Marine. I love the Marine Corps. The Marine Corps DOES NOT love you back."
--Major Alexis McCabe, Call sign "Nomo"

Embry-Riddle Girl: "So, why are you here at the WAI conference?"
Embry-Riddle Guy: "I'm here to pick up girls."
Embry-Riddle Girl: "I think I just threw up in my mouth a little."

Girl 1: "So the Riddle guys said they are 'just here to pick up girls.'"
Girl 2: "They said that!?"
Girl 1: "Yep."
Girl 2: "At WAI?"
Girl 1: "OUT loud."
Girl 2: "Aren't they afraid of getting hog tied and left to die of exposure?"

After beating the record (ahem, easily) on the Marine Pull up bar, I got my pick of swag:

Marine (male): "Here take the hat."
Me: "Uh...that's okay."
Marine: "Come on...take the hat."
Me: [Firmly] "No, thanks."
Marine: [Scornfully] "What, you got a Navy boyfriend?"
Me: "NO." Yes. "Give me the damn hat!"

"People don't usually challenge me and get away with it."
--Lynda Meeks, Founder, Girls With Wings

"Get that CFI, double I, and (learn to fly a) taildragger!"
--Words of wisdom from the Mercury 13's Wally Funk to me at WAI 2009. My reply: 'Yes ma'am.'

"This is just shore duty," thoughtful pause. "The best shore duty EVER."
--Lt. Amy Thomlinson, Blue Angel #8

"If you're not doing your best, you probably shouldn't be here."
--Ensign Emily Olson (USN), Regarding Flight School

"You're asking me if I want to go to a conference with thousands of women? And all they want to talk about is airplanes? I'm there!"
--Corky Fornoff, Keynote Speaker, Stunt Pilot, Aerial Coordinator and Director for movies

"I would call up airshows and they would say 'Oh, we've already got a girl.'" Pause. Smug smile. "That doesn't happen anymore."
--Patty Wagstaff, Aerobatic Pilot and winner of tons of awards, including Unrivaled MASTER of UNDERSTATEMENT.

"Make sure you go to church. That's the one place they can't yell at you."
--Unidentified audience member, regarding Navy OCS.

When I met Patty Wagstaff I was so star-struck I just beamed at her. When told I was a recent Embry-Riddle grad and newly rated commercial pilot, she gracefully congratulated me. I said thank you, and then had absolutely nothing to add to the conversation. After a minute she gave up and said "Uh, good luck then." and wandered off.

In the hotel lobby was board where the conference events, sessions, meetings, etc were posted. Next to all the official conference information was a hand written note torn from a spiral pad and stuck with a thumb tack. It said "Who wants to share a cab to Hartsfield?" Below it was signed simply "Wally" and had a big smiley face. Like Cher or Madonna, some people need no further introduction.

FMI: www.wai.org