Lynda
Commercial and Military Airplane and Helicopter Pilot
I live in Lakewood, which is near Cleveland, Ohio. I am 41 years old.
I’ve had a few different flying jobs since I was 24 but I first learned to fly in
the Army on UH-1 "Huey" Helicopters. I also flew C12s (King Air 200's) in
the military in Germany and to South and Central America. When I left the
Army, I went to work for a regional airline flying Beech 1900s. I left there to
fly for a private (fractional) airline, on both the Citation V and the Beechjet.
I now fly for NetJets flying the Citation X, which I LOVE!
I didn’t grow up wanting to be a pilot. I only went to flight school because
the Army said it was a really tough school and I like a challenge. I have an
uncle who became a pilot a couple years after I did, but I didn’t know
anyone who could fly when I was growing up. Now I have a lot of friends
who fly a lot of different aircraft for a whole lot of reasons. You can read
about many of them here.
I like flying mostly because the sun and sky are so beautiful up above
where everyone else may be having a cloudy, rainy day! I love going to
work where I can look down at big cities and small towns and everything in
between. I do not like sitting in one place very much, like in an office, and I
do like to travel and see new places.
If you want to be a pilot, you can’t hate studying, because pilots have a
test at least once or twice a year to keep their license. Pilots need to keep
up to date on the different rules and regulations the government has put
in place to keep flying safe.
Many people are surprised when I tell them that I am a professional pilot.
Most people don’t know that women have been flying since 1910, and
there are more and more girls getting their pilots’ licenses every day. When
I’m in my uniform, people are always assuming I’m a flight attendant. In
fact, one day when I was settling into my seat in the cockpit, a woman
passenger called out to me, “Stewardess, Stewardess. I can’t get my
seatbelt fastened.” So I said to her, “I promise to help you with the
seatbelt if you promise not to call me stewardess.” Her husband leaned
over to her and said; “I think they call them flight attendants now.” I had
to explain to them that, no really, I was a real live pilot!
I founded Girls With Wings several years ago because I think there needs
to be a greater awareness in the community that women can be and ARE
pilots - and good ones at that. We do presentations to girls' groups so
that they know that "Yes, Girls Can Fly!"
Read about my adventures in the 2009 Air Race Classic!
Commercial and Military Airplane and Helicopter Pilot
I live in Lakewood, which is near Cleveland, Ohio. I am 41 years old.
I’ve had a few different flying jobs since I was 24 but I first learned to fly in
the Army on UH-1 "Huey" Helicopters. I also flew C12s (King Air 200's) in
the military in Germany and to South and Central America. When I left the
Army, I went to work for a regional airline flying Beech 1900s. I left there to
fly for a private (fractional) airline, on both the Citation V and the Beechjet.
I now fly for NetJets flying the Citation X, which I LOVE!
I didn’t grow up wanting to be a pilot. I only went to flight school because
the Army said it was a really tough school and I like a challenge. I have an
uncle who became a pilot a couple years after I did, but I didn’t know
anyone who could fly when I was growing up. Now I have a lot of friends
who fly a lot of different aircraft for a whole lot of reasons. You can read
about many of them here.
I like flying mostly because the sun and sky are so beautiful up above
where everyone else may be having a cloudy, rainy day! I love going to
work where I can look down at big cities and small towns and everything in
between. I do not like sitting in one place very much, like in an office, and I
do like to travel and see new places.
If you want to be a pilot, you can’t hate studying, because pilots have a
test at least once or twice a year to keep their license. Pilots need to keep
up to date on the different rules and regulations the government has put
in place to keep flying safe.
Many people are surprised when I tell them that I am a professional pilot.
Most people don’t know that women have been flying since 1910, and
there are more and more girls getting their pilots’ licenses every day. When
I’m in my uniform, people are always assuming I’m a flight attendant. In
fact, one day when I was settling into my seat in the cockpit, a woman
passenger called out to me, “Stewardess, Stewardess. I can’t get my
seatbelt fastened.” So I said to her, “I promise to help you with the
seatbelt if you promise not to call me stewardess.” Her husband leaned
over to her and said; “I think they call them flight attendants now.” I had
to explain to them that, no really, I was a real live pilot!
I founded Girls With Wings several years ago because I think there needs
to be a greater awareness in the community that women can be and ARE
pilots - and good ones at that. We do presentations to girls' groups so
that they know that "Yes, Girls Can Fly!"
Read about my adventures in the 2009 Air Race Classic!
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back
| My Ride. |
| Lynda in the X cockpit. |
| The Flight Deck. |
| The Ride for my passengers. |
| Using aviation to entertain and educate girls about their limitless opportunities... |
TM
| Using aviation to entertain and educate girls about their limitless opportunities... |
TM
| Using aviation to entertain and educate girls about their limitless opportunities... |
TM
| Learn a little 'bout life on the road as a pilot! |
| Read about Lynda's experience at AcroCamp |
Lynda is a member of
GAPAN: Guild of Air
Pilots and Air Navigators
(A British organization)
GAPAN: Guild of Air
Pilots and Air Navigators
(A British organization)