Oceana Air Show celebrates 50 years of women in naval aviation
Oceana Air Show this weekend in Virginia Beach celebrates 50 years of women in naval aviation
A half-century ago, eight women were the first allowed to enter the Navy’s flight training school in Pensacola.
Six earned their wings, blazing a trail for their futures that would light the way for generations of female aviators.
“Things are happening now that I could not have even imagined back in the ’70s,” said retired Capt. Joellen Drag Oslund, the fourth woman to earn the coveted gold wings. “Now, we have a woman selected for chief of naval operations. We have a woman, who’s a helicopter pilot, that has commanded a nuclear aircraft carrier — the USS Lincoln. In those days, I wasn’t even allowed to hover over those ships, much less be a commanding officer.”
The Navy is celebrating “50 Years of Women in Naval Aviation” during this year’s Naval Air Station Oceana Air Show, slated for Saturday and Sunday.
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Story credit: The Virginian-Pilot