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VICKI VAN METER
“Vicki Van Meter” is a
5 ft 7 inch commemorative statue to
be placed in the new airport in St.
George, Utah, sometime this spring,
and another one will be dedicated
at the airport in Augusta, Maine,
where she launched both of her record
breaking flights.
Vicki became world famous at age
11 in 1993, when she broke the record
for the youngest person to fly from
Maine to California in a light plane.
She was accompanied by her instructor,
but she was at the controls. The next
year at 12, she broke another record
by flying from Maine to France.
A very talented young aviator, NASA
took her under their wing as a future
astronaut but she began a growth spurt
and became too tall. She got a degree
in Criminal Justice and served two
years in the Peace Corps but unhappily
she died at age 26 in 2008, losing
a long battle with depression. Her
message in many public appearances
and motivational speeches “If
you put your mind to it you can accomplish
anything”.
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