Born: 31 August 1948, United States
Died: NA
Country most active: United States
Also known as: Bonnie Tiburzi Caputo
The following is republished from the Federal Aviation Administration and was written by Theresa Kraus, Ph.D. This piece falls under under public domain, as copyright does not apply to “any work of the U.S. Government” where “a work prepared by an officer or employee of the U.S. Government as part of that person’s official duties” (See, 17 U.S.C. §§ 101, 105).
“In the early days they said I was trying to make a statement, but I was just trying to make a living.”
At the age of 24, American Airlines hired her as a pilot in March 1973. She was the first woman hired by a major airline as a member of the cockpit crew. At American Airlines, she flew as flight engineer, first officer, and captain on the Boeing 727. At the time of her retirement in 1998, she was flying as captain in the Boeing 757/767 on domestic and international routes.