Bev Weintraub, Piper Owner Society member and owner of a Piper Archer II, was the winner of Cessna Owner Organization and Piper Owner Society’s 2022 Sweepstakes at the EAA AirVenture in Oshkosh. The package featured prizes from six vendors totaling more than $2,500 in value: 

  • TELY ACE ANR Headset (Value: $749) 
  • Jet Shades Windshield + Premium Ultra-Thins Rear Skylight (Value: $799) 
  • Sensorcon AV8 CO Unit (Value: $139) 
  • Aviator Assistant Year Subscription (Value: $74.99) 
  • Flight Outfitters Package (Value: $600) 

Bev is an avid aviator who caught the aviation bug as child. She earned her private in 1998 and her IFR in 2002. “The first time I flew commercial was when I was just 8 years old. I was desperate to know how it worked, how this metal tube stayed in the air. I told my parents when I was 13 that I wanted to learn and I got that ‘over my dead body’ look from my mom, so it didn’t happen until I was an adult, but it did happen.” 

When Bev got her license, she wasn’t satisfied with just getting up in the air occasionally. She has been passionate about flying ever since and has flown five times in the Air Race Classic, an annual 2,000 nautical mile, all-women race. “It’s an amazing, friendly competition, and I’ve seen parts of the country I would never have seen otherwise and met some amazing people and some incredible pilots.” 

Bev is also the author of the book Wings of Gold: The Story of the First Women Naval Aviators (Lyons Press, 2021). While she doesn’t have a military background, the book “fell in her lap” because of her combined expertise in writing and aviation. She worked for 24 years at the New York Daily News, writing about aviation as well as other topics. More recently she was asked to write an article for the Washington Post. The publisher saw the piece and asked if she would like to write the book. “I did a couple of signings at Oshkosh and it was very well received.” 

Bev is excited to win the package, as she’ll put it to good use with all the time she spends in the air. “It looks like an amazing package of gear,” she said. She was especially eager to use the TELY headset. She lives in New York City but flies out of a small, unpowered airport in New Jersey about 35 minutes from home. Just being able to fly down the Hudson River and around the Statue of Liberty and it’s in my own back yard is absolutely amazing.”