ISA+21 Honor Board

There have been many who have paved the way for women to earn a seat at the controls of an airliner.  ISA+21 would like to recognize and honor the following women from around the globe who have left a mark on the airline world.  They have been the first female pilots in their countries, the first female hired by their airlines or to become captains and checkairmen, and have flown on some of the first all-female crews.  Their remarkable accomplishments do not stop there.  These ladies have truly been trailblazers the aviation industry and will always be looked up to.

1934

Helen Richey

Central Airlines

1947

Prem Mathur

Deccan Airways

First Indian female airline pilot

1956

Durba Banerjee

Indian Airlines

1965

Yvonne Pope Sintes

Morton Air Service

First British female airline pilot

1967

Fiorenza de Bernardi

Aeralpi

First Italian female airline pilot

1968

Turi Widerøe

SAS

First Norwegian female airline pilot

1973

Bonnie Tiburzi

American Airlines

1973

Rosella Bjornson

Transair

First Canadian female airline pilot

1973

Emily Howell Warner

Frontier Airlines

1973

Joy Walker

Delta Air Lines

1973

Barbara Garrett Smith

Eastern Airlines

1973

Lyubov Ulanova

Aeroflot

1974

Cheryl Faye Peters

Piedmont Airlines

1974

Sandra Saliba Simmons

Braniff Airways

1975

Tagreed Akasheh

Royal Jordanian Airlines

1975

Conchita Brenard

Mexicana Airlines

1975

Danielle Decure

Air France Airlines

1975

Joann Osterud

Alaska Airlines

1976

Norah O’Neill

Flying Tigers

1976

Ann Lloyd-Bostock

British Caledonian

1976

Terry London Rinehart
Valerie Walker

Western Airlines

1977

Grainne Cronin

Aer Lingus

1977

Gloria La Roche

Airgo Air Freight

1977

Caroline Frost
Lesly Hardy

British Air Ferries

First British all-female airline pilot crew

1977

Emilie Jones
Lynn Rippelmeyer

Air Illinois

First all-female airline pilot crew in USA

1978

Judy Cameron

Air Canada

1978

Gail Gorski

United Airlines

1978

Sharon Emminger

Hawaiian Airlines

1979

Maria Ziadie Haddad

Air Jamaica

1979

Deborah Lawrie

Ansett

First Australian female airline pilot

1979

Susan Truman
Jan Everest

Air New Zealand

1979

Mimi Tompkins

Aloha Airlines 

Aloha Flight#243

1979

Abigail Davis

Northwest Orient Airlines

1979

Susan Horstman

National Airlines

1979

Joyce Stripp

US Airways

1981

Adelajda Szarzec-Tragarz

Polish Airlines

1981

Sari Schneph

Pacific Southwest Airlines

1982

Sophianna Karamali

Olympic Airways

1982

Sharon Finch Bigelow

Midway Airlines

1982

Cathy Jones

Southwest Airlines

1983

Kirsi Arvila

Finnair

1983

Debra McCormick

America West Airlines

1984

Ann Bennett
Sharelle Quinn

Qantas Airways

1984

Emily Howell Warner
Barbara Wiley Cook

Frontier Airlines

First Frontier Airlines all-female crew

1984

Patrice Clark

Bahamasair

1985

Saudamini Deshmukh
Nivedita Bhasin

Indian Airlines

India’s first all-female airline pilot crew

1985

Linda Smith

New York Air

1986

Susan Schmid

Compagnie Transport

1987

Lynn Barton

British Airways

1988

Renate Moore Natson

Lufthansa

1988

Tanya Cunningham

Midwest Express

1988

Antonelle Celetti

Alitalia

1989

Kaniz Fatema Roksana

Biman Bangladesh

1996

Janet Patton

Spirit Airlines

1999

Ari Fuji

JAL Express

Japan’s first female airline pilot

2001

Beverley Bass

Gander Diversion, Newfoundland 9/11

2012

Esther Mbabazi

Rwandair

2013

Wang Zhiqian

Sichuan Airlines, China

2016

Lori Cline
Lucy Young

Movie debut in “Sully”

2018

Lisa Norman

Commands first direct flight Perth-London

2019

Yasmeen Al-Maimani

First Saudi Arabian female airline pilot

2019

Helen Trenerry

Commands first B787 flight direct London-Sydney

Czarena Hashim

Royal Brunei Airlines

Flying Families

ISA+21 would like to recognize the following airline pilot families 

Claudia Jones &
Cathy Jones

Mother and Daughter airline pilots

Grainne Cronin &
Louisa Johnston

Mother and Daughter airline pilots

Beverley Bass &
Paige Stawicki Rogers

Mother and Daughter airline pilots

Wendy Rexon &
Kelly Rexon

Mother and Daughter airline pilots to fly together

Jan Ramos &
Vicky Ramos

First sister airline pilots

Nivedita Bhasin- Mother
Rohit Bhasin- Father
Rohan Bhasin- Son
Niharika Bhasin- Daughter

World’s first family in which every member is an airline captain

Mary Trusler
Jennifer Trusler
Keegan Schroeder

Three generations of female airline pilots at United Airlines