Women In Aviation St. Louis Chapter Hosts Blue Angels STEM Program During Spirit of St. Louis Airshow Appearance

By Carmelo Turdo

Women with Wings, the St. Louis chapter of Women in Aviation International, hosted a "Girls in STEM: Meet the Blue Angels!" program Friday, June 5, at Creve Coeur Airport. The event coincided with the appearance of the U.S. Navy Blue Angels at the Spirit of St. Louis Airshow and STEM Expo last weekend, adding another excellent outreach opportunity for the local community to meet members of the Navy's elite demonstration team. "Girls in STEM" was held at the new Wings Industry Network hangar, and the Gateway Youth Aeronautical Foundation provided their F-4 Phantom cockpit exhibit. 

After registration and seating of the guests, two members of the U.S. Navy Blue Angels were introduced by the Women with Wings Board of Directors: LCDR Natalia Luchetti, Maintenance Officer, and Petty Officer Masha Burger, Logistics Specialist First Class on the maintenance team. They both shared valuable insights into their careers, their motivation to join the U.S. Navy and their current responsibilities with the Blue Angels. The 90-minute session also included a meet-and-greet opportunity for all attendees.

LCDR Luchetti, a native of Mayaguez, Puerto Rico, enlisted in the U.S. Navy in 2001 as a Boatswain's Mate, taking on ship steering and refueling duties. While aboard the aircraft carrier USS Kitty Hawk, she changed her career track to aviation maintenance, serving through the rank of Chief Petty Officer and later commissioned as an Aviation Maintenance Duty Officer in 2014. She currently manages the maintenance function for the Blue Angels fleet of 27 Super Hornets (7 per deployment) and the C-130J Super Hercules support aircraft, including troubleshooting issues with the aircraft during airshow performances. LCDR Luchetti is the first female Maintenance Officer in the 80-year history of the Blue Angels.

Petty Officer Masha Burger, from Kansas City, KS, is a Logistics Specialist First Class in the Logistics Department of the Blue Angels. She enlisted in the U.S. Navy at the age of 27 following a stagnating career at Starbucks and went into the Logistics Specialist track. After eight years of service, including aircraft carrier duty, Petty Officer Burger's service excellence was recognized by her appointment to the elite Blue Angels.

Following their opening remarks, Commander Luchetti and Petty Officer Burger answered questions from the audience. Their presentation can be viewed on the accompanying video:

The Aero Experience thanks Women with Wings and all of the sponsors and attendees for making this outreach even so successful. See The Aero Experience coverage of the airshow in our previous post: U.S. Navy Blue Angels and Canadian Forces Snowbirds Headline Spirit of St. Louis Airshow and STEM Expo.