Bettina Kadner facts for kids

Bettina Inés Kadner Schilling, born in 1946, is a famous Spanish pilot. She made history in 1969 when she was just 22 years old. She became the first woman to fly a passenger plane in Europe! Later, in 1998, she also became the first female pilot in command in Spain, and the second in Europe. She flew for the airline Iberia from 1985 until she retired in 2006.

Early Life and Dream to Fly

Bettina Kadner was born in Madrid, Spain, in 1946. Her family was from Germany. Her grandfather was a pilot during World War I, even though he worked as an architect. After World War II, her parents moved from Germany and made Madrid their home.

Bettina's mother, Ute Kadner, was an artist. She owned a factory that made metal furniture. Her mother also brought in special machines that help guide planes on airport runways. When Bettina was 12, she started going to work with her mom. That's when she saw the planes and fell in love with them. She decided right then that she wanted to be a pilot.

Becoming a Pilot

Bettina started her pilot training in the early 1960s. When she was 18, after finishing high school, she went to aviation schools. These schools were located in Cuatro Vientos and Alcantarilla. She also took important exams at the National Aeronautics School in Salamanca.

After more than five years of hard work and study, Bettina achieved her dream. In October 1969, she earned her license as a first-class commercial pilot. This was a huge step because she helped change rules that had stopped women from flying commercial airplanes.

Challenges and Successes

For ten years, Bettina Kadner was the only woman flying in a Spanish civil aviation cockpit. It wasn't always easy for her to join the workforce. Sometimes, she even heard other pilots on the radio say, "Bettina, to the kitchen."

She also faced difficulties when trying to get a job. She first applied to Iberia, a big airline. But they told her it would be impossible for a woman to work there. After trying for several months, she found a job at Spantax. This was one of the first Spanish airlines to hire women pilots. They hired her right away!

One of her first flights was from Madrid to Las Palmas and back, flying a Fokker plane. She also worked as a copilot on different types of planes. These included the Douglas DC-6, DC-7, and DC-9. Later, she became the main pilot, or pilot in command, for the F27 and Boeing 737 models.

In 1985, Bettina Kadner was finally hired by Iberia. She started as a second officer there. In 1998, she was promoted to pilot in command of the Airbus A320. She mainly flew European flights with this plane. Her very last flight as a professional pilot was in November 2006.

Making History

Bettina Kadner became the first female pilot in command in Spain. She was also the second in all of Europe. Her success opened the door for many other women pilots who came after her, like María Aburto and Rosa García Santolaya.

In 2019, a university called Rovira i Virgili University gave her a special award. It was a doctora honoris causa degree, which is a high honor. They gave it to her to celebrate her amazing career and achievements in aviation.

See also

In Spanish: Bettina Kadner para niños