Turi Widerøe

Turi Widerøe (born November 23, 1937) was Norway's first female air transport pilot. She took her private pilots license in 1962. After acquiring her commercial license she flew the de Havilland Otter seaplane and later Twin Otter for Widerøe's Flyveselskap, first as co-pilot, later as captain. In 1968, she was employed by SAS (Scandinavian Airlines System). In 1969, she was certified as co-pilot on Convair 440 Metropolitan and became the first female pilot in a larger airline in the western world. She also flew SAS' first jet aircraft, the Caravelle, and the DC-9 before she ended her flying career. Her first uniform is displayed in the National Air & Space Museum in Washington DC. She was awarded the Harmon Aviator Trophy in 1969 and the FAI Paul Tissandiers Diploma in Paris in 2005, on the 100 year anniversary of the aviation organization. She is the daughter of Viggo Widerøe, who founded Widerøe's Flyveselskap A/S, a regional airline in Norway, in 1934.

References

* [http://www.caplex.no/Web/ArticleView.aspx?id=9340836 Reference to Norwegian encyclopedia]
* [http://www.nak.no/nak/html/nyheter/nyheter-18.10.2005.htm Receiving FAI Paul Tissandiers Diploma]
* [http://www.flysas.com/upload/International/SKI/Press-center/SAS%20in%20history.pdf SAS Scandinavian Airlines history of Pioneering]