Miss Vermont Erin Connor Flies Herself To Miss America Pageant

In an impressive move, Miss America contestant Erin Connor flew herself to the pageant in Atlantic City, New Jersey.

MISS VERMONT ERIN CONNOR FLIES HERSELF TO MISS AMERICA PAGEANT

Connor is a licensed pilot who flew her own plane from Burlington, Vermont, to a small airport outside of Atlantic City in about 2.5 hours, carrying two passengers. She was crowned Miss Vermont back in April, and is looking to expand her title to Miss America. “I get to go to Miss America, a once-in-a-lifetime experience, and I get to fly myself there, another thing I love to do,” Connor said. “It’s a win-win all around.”

Connor also shared various points of her flight on Facebook Live.

“It was a great day to fly,” she continued. “What a great way to start off my 2018 Miss America journey.” She made a quick stop in upstate New York, and was all smiles wearing blue aviator sunglasses and her grandfather’s World War II uniform shirt. Connor earned her piloting license at age 16 through the Vermont Flight Academy at Vermont Technical College. Her platform, “Tailwinds: Training a New Generation of Women Scientists,” is picking up momentum. “I thought, ‘What’s a better way to highlight my platform of encouraging women to enter into STEM fields and aviation than to fly down myself?'”

The 22-year-old recently completed her 70th appearance wearing the Miss Vermont crown, and will be introduced alongside the 50 other pageant competitors Aug. 30 on Atlantic City’s famed boardwalk. The women will participate in the preliminary events, which will eventually lead up to nationally televised finale on ABC on Sept. 10.