Lakeland, FL: The Aerospace Center for Excellence welcomes Kaitlin Conway as the new Scholarship Associate! Kaitlin’s love of aviation has been present since she was a child, with her family gifting her a trip to an airshow as a birthday gift. After moving to Florida from New Jersey, she visited Polk State to get some […]
Born in San Francisco, California in 1887, Lincoln Beachey had a passion for aviation from a young age. In 1904, Beachey worked with Glenn Curtiss to fly on the Arrow, an airship. The slow-moving airship did not thrill Beachey, as he wanted something with more power and movement. By 1910 he had designed his own
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Born in Pensacola, Florida on June 28, 1926, Betty Skelton developed a liking for aviation early on. Skelton began lessons as early as 8 years old and took the controls of an aircraft at 12 years old. She legally soloed at the age of 16 and soon after, acquired her private pilot’s license. Skelton wanted
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The Florida Air Museum and Aerospace Center for Excellence welcomes Nicholas Mathes as our new Museum Director! Nicholas Mathes is a long-time Polk County resident being born and raised in Mulberry Florida. Nicholas married his high-school sweetheart in 2009 and has two children, Jaida, age 12 and Ezra, age 7. Nicholas holds two Master’s degrees
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Bill Adams was raised on a farm near Watertown, Wisconsin, where he was born on October 11, 1925. His interest in aviation began at an early age. He was working as a crop duster when, in 1948, he saw the famous Cole Brothers Air Show. Watching them inspired him to strive to become an air
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Since the very first Women in Aviation International Girls in Aviation Day in 2015, the annual WAI event has grown every year since its first gathering of 32 events and 3,200 participants. In 2019, GIAD met more than 20,000 attendees participating in 119 events in 18 countries. The Aerospace Center for Excellence is proud to
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