MISS VERMONT AIMS FOR THE SKY

For a while, at least, Miss Vermont was far above the competition to become the next Miss America. A licensed pilot, Erin Connor flew herself from Burlington, Vermont, to an airport just outside Atlantic City on Sunday, three days before the contestants were to meet the public in the annual welcoming ceremony on the famous Boardwalk. “I like to make an entrance anywhere I go,” she said. She completed the 563-km flight in about 2 hours in a Piper Arrow with two others on board. Connor is one of 51 contestants (each state plus the District of Columbia) who will be introduced to the public late Wednesday across from Boardwalk Hall.