Born: 30 October 1939, United States
Died: 3 July 2020
Country most active: United States
Also known as: Emily Hanrahan
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).
She began applying to be a pilot for Frontier Airlines in 1968 – Frontier hired her in January 1973. After flying as a first officer on Convair 580s and de Havilland Twin Otters, in 1976, she became the first female captain on a scheduled U.S. airline. She later became captain of a Boeing 737 for United Parcel Service. In 1974, she became the first woman member of the Air Line Pilots Association (ALPA).