Pilot gives blueprint for chasing dreams

Frontiers of Flight Museum’s sold-out First in Flight Luncheon raised more than $228,000 to support the museum’s aerospace-STEM education programs. The event welcomed 350 guests to celebrate aviation firsts, and the doors donors can open for the next generation of innovators and explorers. Guests received personalized “passports” to collect stamps as they explored food and interactive experience stations, including a flight simulator and a look inside a JSX aircraft. Keynote speaker Capt. Theresa M. Claiborne (pictured, center) shared her groundbreaking career as the first Black woman pilot in the U.S. Air Force. Her address centered on the question “Is It Possible?” and encouraged guests to believe in what young people can achieve when given opportunities to explore and learn. Throughout her keynote, Claiborne used the acronym POSSIBLE — Pursuit, Opportunity, Strength, Success, Initiative, Belief, Leadership, Execute — to tell her story and empower attendees with a blueprint for chasing their dreams and reaching their goals. Claiborne also became the first Black woman aircraft commander and instructor on the KC-135. Her career included seven years on active duty and 13 years in the Air Force Reserves, followed by a distinguished career with United Airlines, where she retired as a Boeing 787 captain. — Sara Burgos