Meet Our Women Build Planes Team Members

Written By Beth White

Miranda Gallagher, High School Aviator & Mechanic-in-Training

Miranda Gallagher

Miranda Gallagher is a passionate young aviator and mechanic whose journey into the world of aviation began at age 11. Her fascination with flying took root when she attended the Aviation Summer Camp at Franklin County Airport, where she took her first Young Eagles Flight with Beth White, a pivotal moment that ignited her aviation dreams. 

Miranda has been actively involved in the Civil Air Patrol, where she has served as the Aerospace NCO organizing classes and events to share her love for aviation and rocketry, and as Cadet Commander. She has also found a mentor in George Coy, a Harbor Freight Fellowship mentor and experienced airplane mechanic, who has guided her in honing her skills.

Miranda's determination and curiosity have opened doors to unique opportunities, including an internship with BETA Technologies, where she worked on the groundbreaking E-VTOL aircraft ALIA. As she embarks on her educational journey, Miranda plans to obtain her Airframe and Powerplant (A&P) license, earn her Private Pilot's License, and continue her education in aviation, all while inspiring young minds to explore their own passions in aviation and mechanics. Miranda is a proud member of EAA Chapter 613 and Habitat for Aviation, and epitomizes the spirit of pursuing one's dreams with dedication and tenacity.

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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