The National Aviation Hall of Fame’s Why I Fly Series is a web-based video series produced with Emmy Award-winning Hemlock Films. This series of twenty-four short videos (each 2-3 minutes in length) seeks to reignite the enthusiasm for flight that existed during the Golden Age of Aviation when greats such as Amelia Earhart, Charles Lindbergh, Jimmy Doolittle, and many others performed incredible feats in the air. To bring back the magic and share the incredible diversity of careers in aviation and aerospace, the series highlights individuals with a connection to flight, whether through aviation manufacturing, promotion, design, history, or piloting… and share their stories of inspiration and career paths. The goal of the series is to inspire others to join the world of aviation. The videos will be shared via social media and hosted on the NAHF website as part of an educational and inspirational video series for children, teens, and the general public. 

 

The central purpose of Why I Fly is to provide audiences, particularly young people, with exposure to the vast array of career opportunities in aviation and aerospace. By highlighting a diverse group of subjects and aviation careers and interests, the NAHF seeks to ignite the interest of the future aviation passion, especially women and minorities. 

 

The people who are highlighted in Why I Fly work hard to ensure their dreams take flight. Whether it is a young woman who has started her own aviation welding company, a band teacher who owns her own small plane and flies on the weekends, or a NASA engineer who builds and flies his own plane, the NAHF wants youth to see people who look like them and have unconventional pathways to aviation. 

 

“We want to encourage people to get involved with aviation and aerospace in any aspect possible, by highlighting stories of the dreamers and doers.” Hemlock Film’s Kara White. 

 

 To quote Why I Fly’s video of Josh Bixler, “With aviation, the possibilities are endless…”

 

The National Aviation Hall of Fame’s Why I Fly is just one part of Discovering Flight with the National Aviation Hall of Fame, a multi-faceted education program designed to support young learners and educators as they explore the wonders of aviation and aerospace, discover the stories of those individuals who have built our rich American aviation legacy, and consider their place in our future aerospace workforce.

 

NAHF Interim President and CEO Aimee Maruyama said, "This series is an important part of our work to ensure that young women, people of color, and other underrepresented groups will have exposure to the amazing world of aviation and aerospace. We believe that including the intentional engagement of these underrepresented groups in the design of our education programs to ignite curiosity is a critical part of the answer to building the aviation workforce of tomorrow."

 

The series is written and directed by filmmakers Adam and Kara White of Hemlock Films.

 

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About Hemlock Films-Hemlock Films, specializes in combining cinematic vision with moving storytelling. They have produced such films as the Emmy-winning Space Chase USA, Rise Above: WASP, Beyond the Powder, The Restorers, and Red Tail Reborn. They have produced films for PBS, the Commemorative Air Force, and videos for Women in Aviation International.

 

 

About The National Aviation Hall of Fame- Formed through an Act of Congress in 1964, the National Aviation Hall of Fame (NAHF) is dedicated to honoring America’s aerospace pioneers. Considered by many to be a true national treasure, the NAHF serves as the only Congressionally-chartered aviation hall of fame and works tirelessly to confidently promote the vision, innovation, skill, and courage of the national heroes who lent their genius to further our nation’s aerospace legacy.  

 

Founded and based in Dayton, OH, the NAHF is committed to informing the public of American aviation heroes, their accomplishments, and their impact on advances in aviation from Early Flight to Space Travel. The NAHF strives to create a distinctive educational resource that will inspire future generations to appreciate our nation’s extraordinary aviation heritage and the men and women who created it.