Goodyear's new blimp christened by aviation pioneer

SUFFIELD, Ohio—Sometimes, your biggest dreams take flight, circumnavigate the world and never look back.

That's the way it happened for Shaesta Waiz, though she never really expected it. But here she is, just 31 years old and living some of her biggest dreams, including last year becoming the youngest female pilot to complete a solo flight around the world in a single-engine aircraft.

Goodyear, likewise, knows a thing or two about helping ideas take flight. The Akron-based tire maker prides itself on innovation, and its fleet of iconic blimps literally allow some of the biggest science, math, engineering and technology ideas to soar.

It was, ultimately, Waiz's passion for aviation and science that brought her to Goodyear's 100-year-old Wingfoot Lake Hangar in Suffield on Aug. 30. There she helped the tire company welcome its newest blimp, Wingfoot Three, as the official christener.

Last year, Waiz completed a solo flight around the world in a single-engine aircraft, traveling 24,000 nautical miles in a her Bonanza A36. Along the way, she made stops in 22 countries and conducted educational and outreach programs that were designed, in part, to inspire girls and young women to consider careers in science- and math-related fields.

"I'd say she is a remarkable woman, but that doesn't do her justice," Richard Kramer, Goodyear's chairman, CEO and president said during the christening ceremony. "She is an inspiring leader, an admirable role model, a record-setting pilot and, as of today, she becomes part of the Goodyear family."

Waiz joins a list of noteworthy women to have christened Goodyear airships. They include aviator Amelia Earhart (1929), astronaut Sally Ride (2000), "Good Morning America" host Robin Roberts (2014) and Akron native Savannah James (2016).

To help mark the historic occasion, Wingfoot Two Senior Pilot Taylor Deen, one of just three female blimp pilots in the world, delivered the champagne bottle Waiz used in the ceremony. The moment served as a reminder that when it comes to aviation and other STEM-related careers, you can find inspiration just about anywhere.

Even the blimp itself can be that inspiration.

"It's power is not really in that it is an ambassador for our brand, but that it is a unifier for our communities," Kramer said. "Whenever it travels, the blimp always attracts huge crowds of people of all ages and all walks of life who marvel at its combination of science and beauty. That was as true when the first blimp was launched more than 100 years ago as it is today."

When Wingfoot Three took to the skies for its maiden flight, Waiz was there for it, helping to guide the airship toward the clouds from right behind the control panel.

"I did get to fly it," Waiz said later. "To be blunt: I was not that great at it. I had thought, 'it's a blimp, how much different could it be?'"

It was, Waiz said, very different. Admittedly, she had trouble keeping the airship's altitude, but Deen and Chief Pilot Jerry Hissem were there to help.

What struck Waiz most about the maiden flight, though, was how serene and peaceful it was among the clouds.

"What I loved about it was that you were going just slow enough to look out the window and really appreciate what aviation is all about," Waiz said. "Being up there (with) that incredible view, looking out of over Ohio, it was the perfect way wrap up the day, with a calm flight."

That view from the gondola is a rare and revealing one.

"Since 1917, the blimps' vision has been about what discoveries are just over the horizon," Kramer said. "New discoveries and a vision beyond the horizon is what (Waiz) embodies as well."

A year after completing her solo flight around the globe, Waiz continues to not only inspire students around the world to pursue aviation and other STEM-related careers, she is working to empower them. As the founder of Dreams Soar Inc., she is dedicated to encouraging girls and young women to consider careers in aviation, and then gives their goals the backing they need to soar.

According to the Dreams Soar website, women are under-represented in STEM-related careers, particularly so in aviation. It notes that just 4 percent of the world's pilots are female, and women represent only 24 percent of the globe's STEM professionals.

Waiz's message to the next generation of STEM leaders is a simple one: You can do it. No matter what.

It wasn't until the age of 17 that Waiz discovered her passion for aviation. The girl who once had been afraid to fly found the courage to board a commercial airline flight from California to Florida. That six-hour journey changed her life.

"I was terrified, until it started to take off and the wheels came up," Waiz said. "Once the plane did take off ... and the aircraft started to soar into the sky, I started to find myself being romanced by aviation; I kept falling in love with it.

"Six hours later, when I got to my destination in Florida, I thought this is what I wanted to do. I have never been this passionate about anything in my entire life."

Dreams Soar is dedicated to helping students discover their own passion, and then gives them the courage to follow it. A year after circumnavigating the globe on a mission to inspire others, she now is working to build up the organization's scholarship funds to support those seeking jobs in STEM fields.

More so, it's part of helping students overcome their biggest fears— biggest doubts—and reach for their dreams.

"I often share with kids that, sometimes, your biggest fear in life could be your greatest passion," Waiz said. "And if you don't go after your fears and conquer them, you may never know."