Page 53 - Senior Link Magazine Winter 2024 - Online Magazine
P. 53
LOCAL LEGENDS
Flight instruction remains one of A Check Ride to Remember: lives of passengers. With Rosemary
the few areas where women have My Experience with Rosemary in charge, there was room for
made notable strides. Today, there Stidham neither error—nor hesitation.
are 11,224 certified female flight
instructors in the U.S., helping My own journey as a student pilot Within the first two minutes, I
to guide and mentor the next culminated in a memorable check learned that using the wrong
generation of aviators. But back ride with Rosemary Stidham. terminology could have dire
when Rosemary was starting out, On a hot July morning, with the consequences. Rosemary’s
the landscape was much different. endorsement of my Certified sharp corrections weren’t just to
It wasn’t until 1973 that American Flight Instructor (CFI) in hand, test my knowledge; they were
Airlines hired Bonnie Tiburzi, the I arrived at the airfield with a lessons in precision, safety, and
first female pilot for a major U.S. mixture of anticipation and nerves. professionalism. Her no-nonsense
airline. Rosemary greeted me promptly at approach made it clear that she
0730, her small stature belying the knew exactly what I needed to
Rosemary’s ambitions were ahead commanding presence she had in understand for my future in
of her time. Despite facing closed the cockpit. aviation, and she was not afraid to
doors with commercial airlines, she push me to that level.
built a thriving career in aviation The check ride process is intense.
on her own terms. Her work as a It’s not just about demonstrating The next four hours were filled
corporate pilot, flight instructor, and your technical ability to fly within with moments of doubt. At one
eventually as an FAA-Designated visual flight rules (VFR); it’s about point, I was sure I had failed. But
Pilot Examiner speaks to her proving that you can do so safely Rosemary’s pointed feedback
resilience and commitment to and with confidence, knowing that wasn’t about failure—it was about
flying. you’ll soon be responsible for the ensuring I grasped the gravity of
Lubbock Senior Link 53
