A Day Under the Golden Dome

Written By Beth White

Our crew visited the Vermont State House and took seats in the House gallery. Representative Erin Brady introduced us from the floor of the House, and the chamber rose in a standing ovation. We spotted our dear friend Bram Kleppner—Amelia Earhart’s great-nephew—who stood and waved to us. Soon after, Abby’s grandpa, also a Representative, shared a proud, heartfelt note about Abby’s accomplishments and the work unfolding in our hangar.

Erin then guided us through the building, pointing out portraits and stories woven into Vermont’s history. One portrait stopped us in our tracks: Governor Madeleine Kunin, Vermont’s first woman governor. Beth met her when Beth was just a little older than our youngest builders, Axley and Sammie, who explored the State House alongside our crew in Montpelier. We left in awe of the beauty and gravity of that place, and we felt deeply grateful for the recognition and the warm reception we received. Vermont showed up for our young aviators and our team carried that encouragement back to the hangar.

Beth White

Education Possibilitarian, Artist, Writer, Doula, Mentor, Aviatrix, Breast Cancer Survivor, Pilot-in-Command at Habitat for Aviation


In the spring of 2022, Beth White emerged from a 10-month battle with breast cancer with an idea: to create an apprenticeship program at Franklin County State Airport where youth work alongside adult mentors servicing conventional and electric aircraft. A pilot and airplane mechanic apprentice herself, and with family roots in the trades, Habitat for Aviation provides an taxilane for world learning opportunities for youth and adults who love to work with their hands to enter the FAA’s apprenticeship certification track. Each day she puts systems in place that make real John Dewey’s philosophy that we “learn best what we live” – a deep throughline from her time at Antioch University New England and as Regional Director for Big Picture Learning. Each learning experience is grounded in relationships, relevance, and practice. In October, 2023, Habitat for Aviation launched its Women Build Planes program, where an all-female team of Modern Day Rosies is building an airplane at Franklin County Airport, in northwestern Vermont, to show folks everywhere that despite the fact that only 2.6% of airplane mechanics are female, women BUILD, FLY, and FIX airplanes.

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