Angela Masson
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Angela Masson, hired by American Airlines in 1976, was the first woman first woman be type-rated on the Boeing 747 on June 30, 1984.[1] Angela began flying lessons at age 15 at Clover Field in Santa Monica, CA. Shortly after getting her pilots license, she started air racing. At age 21 while flying in the Powder Puff Derby she set a record as the youngest person to fly coast to coast in a high performance aircraft. [2]
In 1971 she trained armed forces pilot cadets at fellow aviatrix Claire Walters Flight School to build her flight experience, getting over 1,000 flight hours in less than a year. She then went on to fly as a charter pilot for Express Airways out of LeMoore NAs on a civilian contract for the Navy. Frustrated to see her former male students flying jets while females were barred from the military, she went back to school. At age 24, she wrote her PhD dissertation “Elements of Organizational Discrimination: The Air Force Response to Women as Military Pilots,” which was presented before Congress during the Hearings about opening military the Academies to women (a copy can be found in the Congressional Records). Her paper was read by Robert Crandall, then President of American Airlines, who later hired her as a pilot for American at age 25. During her career there, she was the first female to fly as First Officer on the Boeing 707, 767 and DC-10.[3]
Currently, she is the most senior female pilot for American Airlines and was their first female chief pilot (Miami domicile, 1997) and resides on Florida.
Dr. Mason graduated from Collegio Monte Rosa In Territet, Switzerland and got her BFA, MA, MPA and PhD in Public Administration from the University of Southern California. The Federation Aeronautique Internationale lists Dr. Masson's numerous Commercial Air Route Speed Awards set in the Boeing 777.[4]
A gifted artist, she was honored in art shows in Italy at the age of 16.[citation needed]
An erstwhile singer, her music is classified as "outsider music". She wrote and sang her own songs, while attempting to play the guitar, under her stage name "Tangela Tricoli". Her record, "Jet Lady" has since been re-released by ArfArf records.
Angela and her daughter, Athena, have a website devoted to their adventures http://www.skycats.com/ that also showcases their art.
[edit] References
- ^ "ISA FIRSTS by Aircraft", International Society of Women Airline Pilots. Retrieved on 2006-12-15.
- ^ Int'l Women Pilots: 99 News, July 2000
- ^ Int'l Women Pilots: 99 News, July 2000
- ^ "History of Aviation and Space World Records", Fédération Aéronautique Internationale (FAI). Retrieved on 2006-12-15.
