Aerobatic Pilot Vicky Benzing joins lineup at next Saturday's Truckee Tahoe Air Show

TRUCKEE, Calif. - Vicky Benzing will join the aerial performance line-up at the Truckee Tahoe Air Show & Family Festival at Truckee Tahoe Airport on Saturday, June 24. As a renowned and celebrated aerobatic pilot, Vicky will dazzle air show visitors with her PT-17 Boeing Stearman demonstration.

Vicky’s performance in her iconic bright red Stearman is an aerial display of power and grace in the spirit of vintage barnstorming. Loops and rolls, low and slow, with lots of smoke and noise, Vicky’s Stearman performance is a crowd favorite. A trainer by design, Vicky’s Stearman literally trained hundreds of pilots to fly during World War II.

Proudly known as the region’s most family-friendly event, the Truckee Tahoe Air Show & Family Festival is an action-packed day of breathtaking air performances and activities for all ages.

The event will feature aerobatic formation flying, aerobatic demonstrations, and static displays of aircraft, as well as live music, arts and crafts, and a STEM expo. Children ages 8-17 can also sign up at the air show for a free flight that takes place the day after the show, Sunday, June 25th.

Free to the public, the air show features a special speaker presentation with Vicky where she’ll discuss how she developed her passion for aviation and how STEM education played a major role in her career.

Vicky Benzing and California Aeronautical University (CAU) team up

Vicky Benzing, a highly educated aviator and is known not just for her incredible aerobatic skills but also for being the Fastest Woman Ever at the National Championship Air Races in Reno Nevada.

An accomplished pilot, skydiver, aerobatic performer, and air racer with 9,500 hours of flight time and over 1,300 parachute jumps, Vicky has a passion for everything airborne. She is a strong proponent of pursuing an aviation education.

Vicky Benzing and California Aeronautical University have teamed up to help expose more young people to the aviation world and to the possibility of starting an aviation career.

According to a recent pilot outlook study by Boeing, we’re experiencing a global pilot shortage in which over 600,000 new pilots will be needed to fly and maintain the global commercial fleet over the next 20 years.

“Learning to fly absolutely changed my life,” says Benzing. “It’s such a confidence builder for young people. There are so many different facets that make up the aviation world that the career opportunities are almost unlimited, especially today. It’s a very exciting time in the aviation industry.”

The University’s outreach team will appear together with Benzing at the Truckee Tahoe Air Show & Family Festival. Along with an informational booth, CAU is bringing a special military tribute aircraft to the event. The aircraft is a Baron B55 used for multi-engine training and contains the names of all military personnel who’ve given their lives in defense of our country since 9/11.

Quick Facts about Vicky

• Vicky loves to share her passion for flying with young people, which makes her partnership with California Aeronautical University a perfect fit.

• Not only is Vicky a record-breaking pilot – she also holds a PhD in Chemistry from UC Berkeley and was an executive in the high technology industry.

• Vicky competes every year at the National Championship Air Races in Reno Nevada where she was named Rookie of the Year during her first year of racing and in 2015 became the Fastest Woman at Reno with a qualification speed of 469.831 MPH.

• Vicky was recently honored at the Palm Springs Air Museum Annual Gala for her achievements as a woman in aviation.

• Vicky can be seen flying her Boeing Stearman in the film “Mercury 13,” a Netflix documentary that tells the remarkable true story of the women who fought for their place alongside male astronauts.