The First Ladies of Air & Space will grace the Mile High City for the sixth annual Spreading Wings Gala, Saturday, November 8 at Wings Over the Rockies Air & Space Museum. Highlighting the contributions of women in aerospace, the event will honor Astronaut Eileen Collins, Aerobatic Champion Pilot Patty Wagstaff and Commercial Airline Pilot Emily Howell Warner with the Spreading Wings award.

Denver's own Amelia Earhart, 850 KOA/9News traffic reporter, will serve as master of ceremonies for the evening. Activities will include cocktails, an auction, dinner, entertainment, a tribute to each of the honorees and an award ceremony. The Museum's annual fund-raising event recognizes people who have not only made extraordinary accomplishments in aerospace, but also provided inspiration to others, especially young people, to pursue their own aspirations.

Each of the 2008 honorees has established new territory for women in aerospace and developed a record of greatness in her chosen career. Collins became the first woman space shuttle pilot in 1995, when she piloted Discovery on mission STS-63. Wagstaff became the first woman to earn the title of U.S. National Aerobatic Champion in 1991, and remains one of few pilots to have earned the title three times. Warner became the first woman pilot hired by a U.S. scheduled airline when she began flying for Frontier Airlines in 1973, and later became the first woman captain for a U.S. air carrier.

"We are honored beyond measure to recognize these three and advance the great contributions that women are increasingly making in all aspects of aviation and space," said Greg Anderson, Wings' president & CEO. "Rarely has any organization had the opportunity to honor the likes of this group."

Collins spent over 25 years as a pilot in the U.S. Air Force, graduated from the Air Force Test Pilot School and logged over 6,751 hours in 30 different types of aircraft during her military career. She became an astronaut in 1991 and served NASA for 15 years. A veteran of four space flights, Collins piloted STS-63 and STS-84 and served as commander on STS-93 and STS-114, logging 872 hours in space. She has received numerous prestigious Air Force and NASA medals and awards.

Wagstaff earned a spot on the U.S. Aerobatic Team only five years after first learning to fly in Alaska, where her job required traveling to remote villages accessible only by air. She has flown air shows and competitions around the world, including such exotic locations as South America, Russia and Iceland. In addition to being a three-time U.S. National Aerobatic Champion, she is also an International Aerobatic Club Champion and a three-time Top U.S. Medal Winner in the World Aerobatic Championships. She is particularly proud of receiving the air show industry's most prestigious award, the "Sword of Excellence." Wagstaff is rated and qualified to fly a variety of aircraft, ranging from WWII warbirds to jets. She also works as a stunt pilot and aerial coordinator in the film and television industry and serves as a demo pilot for Raytheon Aircraft.

Warner began flying in 1958, with her sights set on becoming an airline pilot. After earning her private, commercial and flight instructor certificates, she began working as a flight instructor. She advanced to chief pilot, flight school manager, and FAA pilot examiner. Although she had amassed more flight hours, Warner saw many of her male flight students go on to become airline pilots long before she finally got her own chance in 1973. Warner flew for Frontier, Continental Airlines and United Parcel Service and later worked for the Federal Aviation Administration. Warner has logged over 21,000 total flight hours and performed more than 3,000 check rides and evaluations. Her Frontier pilot uniform is on display in the National Air & Space Museum and a collection of her memorabilia from Frontier is on display at Wings Over the Rockies.

The Spreading Wings Gala is the Museum's biggest fundraising event of the year. The Gala raises money to support Wings Over the Rockies and its Spreading Wings outreach mission to educate and inspire young people and improve math and science achievement. Previous award winners include Steve Fossett, Chuck Yeager, Burt Rutan and Carl Williams.

Wings Over the Rockies Air & Space Museum is dedicated to educating and inspiring people of all ages through aviation and space endeavors of the past, present and future. Located on the historic former Lowry Air Force Base, the Museum currently features more than 35 aircraft on display, spanning over 70 years of aviation history. Wings also features a growing collection of space exhibits, including a display of Titan IV rocket engines, an Apollo Command Module, Cosmonaut space walker and Mockup Space Station, as well as a new exhibit honoring Colorado's Astronauts and the state's leadership role in the aerospace industry.

Spreading Wings Gala
6:00 p.m., Saturday, November 8, 2008
Wings Over the Rockies Air & Space Museum
7711 E. Academy Blvd., Denver, CO 80230
On the former Lowry Air Force Base
Tickets: 303-360-5360
www.WingsMuseum.org