2025 Oklahoma Women in Aviation and Aerospace Day Celebration Luncheon

Presented by the aerospace legacy, AAR Corporation, this is an event for everyone as we celebrate a century of aviation history with style and elegance welcoming our celebrity keynote speaker, and Col. Dawn Zoldi as our celebrity emcee to the ninth annual Oklahoma Women in Aviation & Aerospace Day. This year, we will gather in a stunning new three-bay 737 hangar, thanks to our collaboration with JE Dunn, Oklahoma City Airport Trust, and the Oklahoma Aerospace Foundation.

Join us for this empowering event from 11 am to 1 pm on Friday, Dec. 12, 2025, at the beautiful new Hangar 4 on the AAR campus at Will Rogers International Airport. Our community partners, guests, and some of Oklahoma's brightest aviation high school students will come together under the roof of one astronomical aviation extravaganza for our largest event to date, filled with inspiration and recognition.

This is a significant event, with past keynote speakers including Col. Nicole Malachowski, Col. Eileen Collins, Major Heather Penny, Wally Funk, and Rear Admiral Peg Klein. Celebrity emcees have included Kellie Hudson, John Herrington, and Jake Rademacher.

We are excited to announce our partnership with The Ninety-Nines International based in Oklahoma City. We will salute the ladies of the flying generation as we pay tribute to the remarkable legacy of Amelia Earhart and celebrate the grit and grace of the Golden Age of flight and the aviators that followed.

This event takes a broader look at the humanity and boldness of the individuals in the aerospace and defense industry while celebrating one hundred years of aviation in Oklahoma, from 1925 to 2025. In the mid-1920s, Amelia Earhart landed at Hatbox Field in Muskogee, Oklahoma. To honor this history, organizers have planned a special tribute to Hatbox Field, which operated from the 1920s until 2000. Originally a flying circus and demonstration site, it became Oklahoma's first army airfield in 1925, serving various military, intermediate landing, and training purposes. This year, attendees are encouraged to wear hats in homage to the greatest generations of pilots who landed at Hatbox Field, as well as to the aircraft technicians who kept the planes flying. Additionally, pearls are traditionally worn in honor of Pearl Carter Scott. We look forward to seeing the aviation community there!

Even before "The Voice" Season 25 premiere, Oklahoma City-based pop group OK3 was already gaining attention for showing off their stellar vocal harmonies, sassy stage presence, and coordinated choreography in their blind audition.

A local Oklahoma Opry talent and nationally recognized singers and songwriters, OK3 secured a Four-Chair Turn with "Made You Look" by Meghan Trainor during the Season 25 Voice Blind Auditions on NBC. The Oklahoma-based vocal trio has the namesake of the longest state highway in Oklahoma, Oklahoma State Highway 3. The trio, made up of Sierra Sikes, Kenna Fields, and Courtney Hooker, coached by John Legend, was eliminated during the battle rounds. They met through their vocal coach and have been best friends and musical collaborators since they were teenagers.

H ISTORY OF THE EVENT

The history of Oklahoma Women in Aviation and Aerospace Day began with an effort by the Oklahoma Department of Aerospace and Aeronautics in 2017 when the former Aeronautics Commission presented a bill to the Oklahoma legislature (SB 230), and it was enacted into law, to officially recognize the contribution of Oklahoma women in the state’s aviation and aerospace industry, on December 9th, annually.

The date marks the birth of the famous Chickasaw aviator, Pearl Carter Scott, of Marlow, Okla. Scott learned to fly at the age of 13 under legendary aviator Wiley Post. She became the youngest pilot in the United States with her first solo flight on Sept. 12, 1929, the same year that Amelia Earhart established the female pilot group, the Ninety-Nines.

Oklahoma’s aerospace and aviation industry is not only the second-largest and fastest-growing in the state, but it’s also a key driver of innovation and economic impact, contributing $44 billion annually. The demand for a skilled and diverse workforce has never been greater. This year’s event will feature a luncheon and a keynote address from an international leader in aviation as we honor the women who are turning wrenches, engineering avionics, piloting rockets, planes, and helicopters, and also charting the course for commercial space flight.

Bring $35 cash to support the Oklahoma Chapter of 99s and collect the official 2025 Oklahoma Women in Aviation and Aerospace Day t-shirt. T-shirt sales will begin at 10:30 a.m. in the main hangar and will conclude at 1:30 p.m.

EVENT PARKING - USE AIRPORT PARKING AND SHUTTLES FOR FRONT DOOR SERVICE

Event Venue & Nearby Stays

6135 S Meridian Ave, 6135 South Meridian Avenue, Oklahoma City, United States

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