The Tampa International Airport is holding an event honoring women in aviation. The inaugural GALA (Girls Achieving Leadership in Aviation) at Peter O. Knight fundraising event will be on March 19, from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. It will be held at Peter O. Knight Airport, at 825 Severn Ave in Tampa.
Attendees can expect a cocktail setting serving small plates and hors d’oeuvres catered by Mise En Place. There will also be a live band provided by DeLeon Entertainment. Speakers at the event include:
- Dorothy Cochrane — Aeronautics curator with the Smithsonian Museum
- Shanan Gibson — Dean of the College of Business at Embry-Riddle
- Nicole Stott — Retired NASA astronaut
Proceeds from the event will go toward establishing a scholarship fund for local young women and girls pursuing aviation in the community. The scholarship is in honor of Betty Skelton, who flew in the first all-woman air show and actually got her pilot’s license at Peter O. Knight! The scholarship fund is being set up by Women in Aviation Tampa Bay Chapter. They are a non-profit that works to provide year-round resources to assist women in aviation. Hosts of the event include Atlas Aviation and Sheltair.
The GALA at Peter O. Knight celebrates the 75th Anniversary of the First All-Woman Air Show, 1930s and 40s cocktail fashion is encouraged! Purchase tickets here.
Female pilots from Florida
Photos courtesy of Florida Memory — State Library and Archives of Florida