Lynn Rippelmeyer is the first woman to fly a Boeing 747

Boeing 747

The Boeing 747 is a wide-body commercial airliner and cargo transport, often referred to by its original nickname, Jumbo Jet, or Queen of the Skies. It is among the world's most recognizable aircraft, and was the first wide-body ever produced...

 (SWA F/O July 2, 1980), and the first to captain the "Jumbo Jet" across the Atlantic ocean. On July 18, 1984 she was captain of People Express Airlines flight #2 from Newark International Airport to London Gatwick airport, departing at 7:35pm. She was also part of the first all-female crew for a scheduled US carrier (with Captain Emily Jones, Air Illinois

Air Illinois

Air Illinois was a commuter airline based in Carbondale, Illinois.-History:Founded in 1970 in Carbondale, Illinois, Air Illinois primarily operated small twin turboprop aircraft such as the DeHavilland Twin Otter...

, DHC-6 Twin Otter, 30 December 1977).

This female pilot began her career in aviation as a TWA

Twa

The Twa are any of several hunting peoples of Africa who live interdependently with agricultural Bantu populations, and generally hold a socially subordinate position: They provide the farming population with game in exchange for agricultural products....

 flight attendant in 1972. After taking lessons to become qualified, she became TWA's second female pilot as a Boeing 727

Boeing 727

The Boeing 727 is a mid-size, narrow-body, three-engine, T-tailed commercial jet airliner, manufactured by Boeing. The Boeing 727 first flew in 1963, and for over a decade more were built per year than any other jet airliner. When production ended in 1984 a total of 1,832 aircraft had been produced...

 Flight Engineer

Flight engineer

Flight engineers work in three types of aircraft: fixed-wing , rotary wing , and space flight .As airplanes became even larger requiring more engines and complex systems to operate, the workload on the two pilots became excessive during certain critical parts of the flight regime, notably takeoffs...

 in 1978. She has been honored with her uniform being placed in the Smithsonian Institution

Smithsonian Institution

The Smithsonian Institution is an educational and research institute and associated museum complex, administered and funded by the government of the United States and by funds from its endowment, contributions, and profits from its retail operations, concessions, licensing activities, and magazines...

, being named as Woman of the Year in England (1984), and being featured in a BBC documentary, Reaching for the Skies

Reaching for the Skies

Reaching for the Skies was an aviation documentary TV series made by the BBC Pebble Mill in association with CBS Fox. The first episode was transmitted in the UK on 12 September 1988 and in the US in 1989....

.

Lynn and her colleague, Beverly Lynn Burns

Beverly Lynn Burns

Captain Beverly Lynn Burns is the first woman to captain the Boeing 747 jumbo jet. On the afternoon of July 18, 1984, Burns made her maiden voyage as Captain when she commanded People Express aircraft 604 from Newark International Airport to Los Angeles International Airport.By the time she...

, shared the honor of creating the first all female Boeing 737 crew at People Express as co-Captains in 1982. Lynn went on to fly for Continental Airlines

Continental Airlines

Continental Airlines was a major American airline now merged with United Airlines. On May 3, 2010, Continental Airlines, Inc. and UAL, Inc. announced a merger via a stock swap, and on October 1, 2010, the merger closed and UAL changed its name to United Continental Holdings, Inc...

when People Express was merged.

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