Exhibit hall at the 2026 WAI Conference in Grapevine, Texas [Credit: Francecsa Baldi]
Key Takeaways:
The author, an aviation student at Western Michigan University, discovered her passion for flying and is actively pursuing her private pilot certificate while being involved with Women in Aviation International (WAI).
Her first attendance at the annual WAI conference was a transformative experience, offering invaluable networking opportunities and interactions with inspiring female pilots and industry professionals.
The conference affirmed her chosen career path, provided crucial mentorship, helped her overcome feelings of inferiority, and inspired her to encourage other young women in aviation.
Growing up I was not quite sure what I wanted to be.
I threw out ideas occasionally, but nothing made me excited. Not until I was at the beach with my friends and saw a little airplane fly over. I had seen planes fly over the beach hundreds of times as I lived in Maine as a small child and then moved to New Hampshire when I was 8.
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Francesca Baldi is a sophomore student at Western Michigan University studying aviation flight science. From New Hampshire, she lived in Maine but was actually born in Michigan. She enjoys music, including DJing a radio show for WIDR-FM, reading, spending time with friends, and flying.
![Francecsa Baldi, a student pilot who attends Western Michigan University [Credit: Francecsa Baldi]](https://www.flyingmag.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/IMG_8671-1-scaled-e1775059979731.jpg?w=150&h=150&crop=1)
![Exhibit hall at the 2026 WAI Conference in Grapevine, Texas [Credit: Francecsa Baldi]](https://www.flyingmag.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/IMG_8494-scaled.jpg)
![Francecsa Baldi, a student pilot who attends Western Michigan University [Credit: Francecsa Baldi]](https://www.flyingmag.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/IMG_8671-1-scaled-e1775059979731.jpg?w=293)
