Norah O'Neill

Who is Norah O'Neill?

Born August 23, 1949 in Seattle, Washington, Norah O'Neill learned to fly in 1973 and became the first woman pilot for Alaska Central Air and the Flying Tiger Line.

During her thirty-five years as an airline pilot, Norah amassed 22,000 hours and was the first woman in the world to pilot the Douglas DC-8 and to fly passengers on the Boeing 747.

Piloting large jet transports on trans-pacific routes for Flying Tigers resulted in Norah being photographed and interviewed by Asian publications as the first woman airline pilot to land in Korea, Japan, the Philippines, Malaysia, Saudi Arabia and Hong Kong.

Mentoring and encouraging the female aviators who followed her was an important part of Norah's career. She was one of the founders of the International Society of Women Airline Pilots in 1978. She served as vice president of that society for two years and as historian for twenty years. She is also a contributing member of the Women in Aviation International and The Ninety-Nines: International Organization of Women Pilots. Norah continues to speak at schools and institutions about women pursuing their dream careers.