• Abstract and Figures
• Public Full-text

CHAPTER ONE ©Smithsonian Institution Emily Howell Warner made aviation history multiple times throughout her career including being the first woman to pilot a scheduled U.S. carrier and being the first woman to be an airliner captain. EMILY HOWELL WARNER FIRST WOMAN PERMANENT PILOT OF A SCHEDULED OBJECTIVES U.S. PASSENGER AIRLINE n List three “firsts” Emily Warren achieved as a female mily Hanrahan Howell Warner had hit second officers, and Warner was named pilot. n Describe Warren’s a wall, or, rather, a glass ceiling. a co-pilot. In 1974, she became the first accomplishments before The year was 1973. For five woman to be a member of the Air Line becoming a pilot for Frontier E years, Warner, a flight instructor, had Airlines. Pilots Association (ALPA). In 1976, she n applied unsuccessfully to become a pilot Discuss Warren’s early life became the first woman to be a captain before becoming a flight at Frontier Airlines, a Denver-based U.S. instructor. on a U.S. scheduled airline, flying a Twin n Build the MU2. passenger airline, in a time when there were no U.S. women passenger airline Otter. In 1986, she commanded the first STANDARDS pilots. She had turned 30 in 1969 and all-female flight crew in the U.S. saw her own former flight school students, In addition to piloting for Frontier, NGSS who were all male, being hired. But in Continental Airlines, and United Parcel SCIENCE January 1973, Frontier made Warner the Service, Warner was a flight school n MS-PS2-1 n MS-ETS1-1 first woman to be named permanent pilot instructor and manager in Denver, n MS-PS2-2 n MS-ETS1-2 n MS-PS3-1 n MS-ETS1-3 for a scheduled U.S. passenger airline. Colorado. In 1991, she began working for Previously, in 1934, aviation pioneer the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) ELA/LITERACY Helen Richey had been the first woman to as a flight designated flight examiner n RST.6-8.1 n RST.6-8.9 pilot a commercial airline on a regularly n RST.6-8.3 n WHST.6-8.7 holding multiple ratings. scheduled run. n RST.6-8.7 n WHST.6-8.9 Her career has been recognized by On Feb. 6, 1973, Warner served for the MATHEMATICS the National Aviation Hall of Fame and n n first time as second officer on a Frontier 6.RP.A.1 8.EE.A.1 National Women’s Hall of Fame. Her n 6.RP.A.2 n MP.2 Airlines Boeing 737-300. The flight n 7.RP.A.2 departed from Denver and went to Las Frontier pilot’s uniform is on display at NCSS Vegas, St. Louis, and back. Within six the Smithsonian’s National Air and Space n IV.f. n X.e. months, Frontier discontinued its use of Museum. n V.c. — PAGE 13 — HER STORY Emily Hanrahan was born October obtaining multiple pilot license ratings. 30, 1939, in Denver, Colorado. At 21, she was a full-time flight in- Her parents taught her and her sib- structor with her own airplane provided lings (four brothers and a twin sister) to by Clinton Aviation, a Cessna 150. believe they could achieve anything. But Warner had read about Turi Wideroe, her family could not afford to send her a Norwegian pilot who, in 1961, had to college. So, instead, after graduating become the first woman documented as from high school, she began working in an airline pilot outside the Soviet Union retail sales at the May Company store in with Scandinavian Airlines System. ©Smithsonian Institution Denver. Warner wanted to pursue a career as an As she worked, occasionally flight airline pilot. Achievements include attendants would come into the store, Her flight training business was n Was the first woman hired as a and she began considering a career thriving as returning troops sought pilot by a U.S. commercial airline as a flight attendant. As a teenager, flight training. Many of the men whom (1973) she did not meet the flight attendant she had trained accrued flying time and n Was the first woman to become minimum age requirement, put in place then left for commercial jet pilot jobs. a member of the Air Line Pilots because attendants served alcohol to In 1968, she began applying for a Association (ALPA) (1974) passengers. Still, she’d never flown position at Frontier Airlines, as well as n Was the first woman to be a U.S. before, and decided to take a flight to Continental Airlines and United Airlines. airline captain (1976) see if she liked it. By 1973, she had thrived in the aviation n Inducted into Colorado Aviation “I bought a ticket on Frontier industry for 15 years. She had accrued Hall of Fame (1983) Airlines in a DC-3,” she said of her first 7,000 flight hours and multiple FAA n Commanded the first all-female flight to Gunnison, Colorado, in 1958, certificates and ratings: private pilot, flight crew in the United States reports Airport Journals. During the commercial, instrument, multi-engine, (1986) flight, she was able to see the cockpit. instructor and Airline Transport pilot. n Inducted into the Women in “I looked out that front window, and Her resume also included chief pilot, Aviation International Pioneer it just hit me,” she recalled in a Denver air taxi and flight school manager, and Hall of Fame (1992) Post interview. “It’s so beautiful looking FAA pilot examiner. She was in charge n Name entered in the Internation- out that front window instead of looking of the United Airlines Contract Training al Forest of Friendship (1993) out of the sides.” Noticing how excited Program for Clinton Aviation. n Inducted into the National Warner was, one of the pilots suggested A friend who worked with Frontier Women’s Hall of Fame (2001) she take flying lessons. Warner remem- introduced her to the vice president n Inducted into the Colorado bered her response: “I said, ‘Gee, can a of flight operations there. She was not Women’s Hall of Fame (2002) girl take flying lessons?’” offered a job immediately, but Warner n Selected as one of the 100 It was not long before she began persisted until she was hired in January most influential women in the taking those flying lessons at Clinton of 1973. aviation and aerospace industry. Aviation, housed at Stapleton Airport in She had crashed the glass ceiling Nominated by Women in Aviation Denver. It cost her about $13 per lesson. for women commercial pilots. The term International (2003) She left the May Company to become a n Inducted into the National Avia- receptionist at Clinton and continued Continued on PAGE 15 tion Hall of Fame (2014) I still love it (flying). You don’t lose that – looking out and seeing that “ world in a different way.” — Emily Howell Warren — PAGE 13 — ” — PAGE 14 — her Story (continued from Page 14) “glass ceiling” is in reference to an still was frustrated by inequities wom- fly, and you’ve got to build your flight intangible barrier that prevents wom- en encounter in aviation. When women time,” she told the Post, “and if you en or minorities from obtaining upper are not given the same opportunities have a family, it’s tough.” level positions. This door-opening as men, Warner told the Denver Post, And still, when she was 74, she achievement is just one piece of the the U.S. and all countries are “only loved the view that had captivated her long flying career Warner experienced. using half of their manpower.” As she as a teenager. “I still love it (flying),” After flying for Frontier, Continental, put it, “If they only use men, they’re she said to the Post. “You don’t lose and United Parcel Service, she began losing a lot.” that – looking out and seeing that working for the FAA as an inspector. Additionally, at the time of her world in a different way.” What did the woman who opened 2014 induction into the National Avia- Warner died July 3, 2020, at doors for so many other women have tion Hall of Fame, Warner was aware the age of 80. When she was asked to say about the current climate for of the challenges women still faced once how she hoped to be known, as women in aviation? pursuing a career in aviation. “Not aviatrix or female pilot, she replied, Even as recently as 2014, Warner as many women are learning how to “Captain will be just fine.” QUICK BOX Overcoming Barriers On her second flight as a commercial airline pilot, the captain told her: “Don’t touch ANYTHING on the flight.” She recalls that it took about a year to feel acceptance from other pilots. The attitude change began with a high-ranking Frontier captain. “You get that acceptance, and it gets around, and everybody accepts you.” Source: Airport Journals and The Denver Post references 1. Bedell, P. A. (2011, May 5). Mitsubishi MU-2: Addictive perfor- 8. Lips, J. (2000). How Emily Hanrahan Howell Warner conquered mance best bang-for-the-buck turboprop. Retrieved from https:// the male-dominated airline Industry, Airport Journals. http:// www.aopa.org/news-and-media/all-news/2011/may/pilot/ airportjournals.com/how-emily-hanrahan-howell-warner-con- mitsubishi-mu-2-addictive-performance. quered-the-male-dominated-airline-industry/. 2. Cochrane, D. & Ramirez, P. (n.d.). Women in aviation and space 9. Potts, M. (2010, Feb. 1). The Mitsubishi MU-2 story. Retrieved history - Turi Wideroe.

Load more

  12

Copy Link