GREENVILLE, S.C., July 17, 2019 – Michelin-sponsored pilot Mélanie Astles will land at EAA AirVenture this week to tell audiences about her career feats, including her accomplishment as the first woman to compete in the Red Bull Air Race, the marquee aerial acrobatics event.
Astles will visit Michelin booth No. 439 at the EAA Fly-In Convention Grounds, adjacent to Wittman Regional Airport, in Oshkosh, Wis. She will tell her story and sign autographs for visitors.
The five-time French aerobatics champion won the British National Aerobatics Championships in Sywell, England, last month and finished second at the French Aerobatics Championship in Ambérieu-en-Bugey, France, earlier this month.
Astles started flying lessons at age 21, and she became aerobatics champion of France 14 years later. Astles, now a Challenger Cup pilot, has finished several times among the world’s top 10 aerobatics pilots and ascended to a European Aerobatics Championship ranking. The Red Bull Air Race, which will be held for the last time in 2019, is billed as the most advanced aerial challenge in the world. It demonstrates a combination of high speed, low altitude and extreme maneuverability achievable only by the world’s best racing pilots using the most agile, lightweight race planes.
Astles will take part in several other sessions during this week’s aviation enthusiast convention, including:
Monday, July 22
- 10:45 a.m., Booth presentation – The Story of Melanie (short presentation with autograph session)
- 2:30 p.m., Booth presentation – The Story of Melanie (short presentation with autograph session)
- 5:30 p.m., EAA Women Venture Social
Tuesday, July 23
- 10 a.m., Welcome Center presentation with autograph session
- 1 p.m., IAC Forum – Women Become Elite: Focused Aerobatics presentation
- 3 p.m., Girl Venture Camp – three 30-minute sessions
Wednesday, July 24
- 8 a.m., Women In Aviation breakfast
- 11 a.m., Boeing Plaza Women Venture photo
- 11:30 a.m., EAA Women Venture Power Lunch – Theater in the Woods
Astles was invited to join the British national team in the Elite category after she became British Aerobatic Champion two weeks ago. She will compete in the world aerobatics championship in Chateauroux, France, from Aug. 21-31. Follow Astles’ race progress on Instagram at melanieastles or michelinaircraft.
