Many military and civilian aircraft, their pilots, maintainers and other women in aviation will be on hand at Topeka Regional Airport, Forbes Field, on Saturday, Oct. 7 at the Combat Air Museum for the second annual Girls in Aviation Day.

The Kansas Commission on Aerospace Education, Combat Air Museum, Museum of the Kansas National Guard, Northeast Kansas Chapter of the Ninety-Nines and the Girl Scouts of Northeast Kansas and Northwest Missouri are sponsoring the event.

The Combat Air Museum will have free admission during the event so the public can view the airplanes and speak with the pilots and exhibitors from area aviation organizations. The 190th Air Refueling Wing of the Kansas Air National Guard will have a Boeing KC-135R Stratotanker open for tours; the 1st Battalion of the 108th Aviation Regiment, Kansas Army National Guard will display one of their Sikorsky UH-60M Blackhawk helicopters; and other area aviation organizations will have aircraft on display and information booths.

Nearly 200 Girl Scouts will begin their day at the Museum of the Kansas National Guard (125 SE Airport Drive, Topeka) at 8 a.m. where they will hear from area civilian and military women pilots and mechanics; skydiver Jen Sharp; a Life Star nurse; the Civil Air Patrol; and Melissa Peat of Kansas STARBASE. They will then travel to the Combat Air Museum at 11 a.m. to see more aircraft, hear presentations by women in aviation, learn from area aviation organizations, tour the Combat Air Museum and fly a flight simulator. Girl Scouts can register for this event at

https://www.gsksmo.org/en/events-repository/2017/girls_in_aviation_da.html

The Ninety-Nines, Inc. is an international organization of licensed women pilots from 44 countries who currently have thousands of members throughout the world. Today, Ninety-Nines are professional pilots for airlines, industry and government; comprised of pilots who teach and pilots who fly for pleasure; pilots who are technicians and mechanics. But first and foremost, the Ninety-Nines are women who love to fly! Learn more at https://www.ninety-nines.org/

The Northeast Kansas Chapter of the Ninety-Nines is co-hosting this event to encourage girls to explore aviation as a career or just a passion.  The Northeast Kansas Chapter of the Ninety-Nines is a community partner of the Girl Scouts and offers various educational programs for troops in NE Kansas and NW Missouri.

The Museum of the Kansas National Guard is located at the Topeka Regional Airport on Forbes Field in Topeka, Kansas at 125 SE Airport Drive. The museum is dedicated to preserving the heritage of the Kansas National Guard and honoring the memories of the soldiers and airmen who, for over 160 years, have served Kansas and the United States whenever the call was made. The Museum of the Kansas National Guard has a collection of aircraft and helicopters including a Boeing KC-135E Stratotanker, Martin EB-57B Canberra, McDonnell Douglas F-4D Phantom II, Bell UH-1 Huey, Sikorsky CH-54 Skycrane and 125 interior exhibits including a virtual parachute descent trainer and a CQ-10A Snow Goose resupply unmanned aerial vehicle. The Museum of the Kansas National Guard is open Monday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and admission is always free. Learn more at http://www.kansasguardmuseum.com/

The Combat Air Museum has served as an educational institution and tourism destination for close to forty years. It is one of a handful of major aviation museums in the United States located on an active air field. Visitors to the Combat Air Museum routinely witness Air Force aircraft and Army helicopter operations. With the longest runway in Kansas, large refueling tanker aircraft of the Kansas Air National Guard and army troop transports often fill the skies around the museum. The Combat Air Museum's "Young Aviators" classes offer students a unique opportunity to be immersed in the wonders of aviation, past, present and future.

Located at the Topeka Regional Airport on Forbes Field in Topeka, Kansas, the Combat Air Museum is a non-profit institution dedicated to the creation of facilities and resources for the education of local and regional communities through the collection, preservation, conservation and exhibition of aircraft, information, artifacts, technology and art associated with the military aviation history of the United States of America. On exhibit at the Combat Air Museum are 40 aircraft ranging from the earliest aviation period to the present day, including seven World War One replica aircraft; historic aircraft engines of many sizes and types, including a rare Whittle gas turbine engine; and an extensive display of artifacts and dioramas, as well as a growing gallery of military aviation art. Learn more at http://www.combatairmuseum.org/

The Combat Air Museum is open daily from 9:00 a.m. through 4:30 p.m. and on Sundays from 12-4:30 p.m.; no visitors admitted after 3:30 p.m.