U.S. Air Force First Undergraduate Navigator Class 78-01-2024 WAI Pioneer Hall of Fame inductee

Congratulations to Women in Aviation International 2024 Pioneer Hall of Fame inductee: U.S. Air Force First Undergraduate Navigator Class 78-01. In 1975, the United States Air Force Chief of Staff announced the establishment of a test program for female pilots and navigators. The six navigator candidates were all U.S. Air Force officers from various career fields including aircraft maintenance, drug and alcohol abuse program, intelligence, weather, and air traffic control.

The women: Capt. Margaret M. Stanek, 1st Lt. Mary K. Higgins, 1st Lt. Elizabeth A. Koch, 1st Lt. Bettye J. Payne, 2nd Lt. Florence E. Parker, and 2nd Lt. Ramona L. McCall helped push open the doors for other women in military aviation with determination and professionalism. Ultimately, these women navigated around the world—something denied merely by policy since World War II.

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