Emily Howell Warner facts for kids

Emily Joyce Howell Warner (née Hanrahan; October 30, 1939 – July 3, 2020) was an American pilot. She made history as the first woman captain for a regular U.S. airline.

In 1973, Emily Warner became the first woman pilot hired by a scheduled U.S. airline since Helen Richey in 1934. Just three years later, in 1976, she became the first woman to be an airline captain in the U.S.

Her amazing career has been honored in many places. These include the National Aviation Hall of Fame and the National Women's Hall of Fame. You can even see her pilot's uniform at the Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum.

Besides flying planes, Warner also managed a flight school in Denver, Colorado. She was a flight instructor and an examiner for the FAA. She flew for over 21,000 hours. She also performed more than 3,000 flight checks and evaluations. Warner passed away in 2020 due to complications from a fall and Alzheimer's disease.

Emily's Early Life and Dream to Fly

Stapleton Airport in Denver, 1966. Emily Warner learned to fly here and worked for many years.

Emily Hanrahan was born on October 30, 1939. Her parents were Emily Violet Boyd and John W. Hanrahan. She went to Holy Family High School in Colorado. Emily was interested in airplanes from a young age. After high school, she thought about becoming a flight attendant.

When she was seventeen, Emily decided she wanted to be a pilot. This happened after her first trip on an airplane. She was allowed to sit in the cockpit on her flight home to Denver. Warner remembered, “The pilot could see how excited I was. He told me to take flying lessons. I asked: ‘Can girls do that?’”

She started flying lessons in 1958. Her parents gave her permission. The lessons cost thirteen dollars a week. At that time, she earned thirty-eight dollars a week from her job. Sometimes she worked fourteen hours a day. This included a morning flight, a full-time office job, and an evening flight. Within a year, she earned her private pilot license. She then got a job as a flying traffic reporter.

Gaining Experience at Clinton Aviation

Two Convair 580 planes at Stapleton Airport in 1986. Emily Warner flew this type of aircraft at Clinton Aviation.

Emily took a job as a receptionist at Clinton Aviation Company in Denver, Colorado. She did this to help pay for her flight training. After getting more flying certificates, she became a flight instructor there. She also earned ratings for flying instruments and multi-engine planes.

She took extra flights to build her flying hours. These included delivering airplane parts or even whole planes. She also flew with a reporter to give traffic updates from the sky.

Clinton Aviation Company operated at Stapleton Airport from 1945 to 1968. It was the first company in the U.S. to sell Cessna airplanes. Emily Warner first flew for Clinton Aviation as a co-pilot. She flew Convair 580s and de Havilland Twin Otters.

In 1966, United Air Lines started a test pilot program with Clinton Aviation. Emily was one of three flight instructors for this program. She was later promoted to flight school manager and chief pilot. She also became the first woman to be named an FAA Pilot Examiner. This meant she could test other pilots.

In 1968, she started applying for pilot jobs at major airlines. These included Frontier Airlines, Continental Airlines, and United Airlines. Her boss, Lou Clinton, wrote letters recommending her. She kept applying many times over five years.

In late 1972, a friend who was a flight instructor told her he was hired by Frontier Airlines. This made Emily even more determined. By this time, Emily had worked in aviation for over twelve years. She had flown more than 3,500 hours as a pilot. She had also taught flying for 7,000 hours. Many of her students were getting hired with fewer flying hours than she had. A friend at Frontier helped her meet the vice president of flight operations. Emily kept trying to get a job at Frontier.

Making History: Frontier Airlines and Beyond

Emily Warner flew Boeing 737-200s for Frontier Airlines, like this one.

The cockpit of a Boeing 737-200.

On January 29, 1973, Frontier Airlines hired Emily. This was fifteen years after her very first plane ride. Her hiring was a big step for American women. It opened up one of the last jobs in aviation that had been only for men. When Warner was hired, no other women were working as pilots for major commercial airlines. By 1978, there were about 300 female commercial pilots in the United States.

On February 6, 1973, Emily Howell Warner flew for the first time as a second officer on a Frontier Airlines Boeing 737. The flight left from Denver's Stapleton Airport and went to Las Vegas. Within six months, she was promoted to first officer. In 1974, she became the first woman to join the Air Line Pilots Association (ALPA).

Three years later, she made history again. In 1976, she became the first woman U.S. airline captain. She flew a Twin Otter plane.

Emily Howell Warner continued to fly with Frontier until 1986. She stayed with the airline when People Express bought Frontier. Then, People Express was bought by Continental Airlines. After flying for Continental Airlines for a short time, she left. She then became a captain for UPS Airlines, flying a Boeing 727. She also flew a DC-8 for United Parcel Service. In 1986, she even commanded a flight crew made up entirely of women.

Emily Warner flew DC-8s for UPS Airlines.

In 1990, she left UPS Airlines to become an examiner for the Federal Aviation Administration. She worked as the FAA Aircrew Program Manager. In this role, she was assigned to United Airlines' Boeing 737 Fleet.

Awards and Honors

Emily Howell Warner received many awards and honors for her pioneering work:

• In 1973, she earned the Amelia Earhart Award. This recognized her as an outstanding woman in U.S. aviation.
• She was a special speaker for the United Nations' International Women's Year.
• Her pilot's uniform is displayed at the Smithsonian Institution's National Air and Space Museum in Washington, D.C.
• In 1974, she was the first woman to become a member of the Air Line Pilots Association.
• She was inducted into the Colorado Aviation Hall of Fame in 1983.
• In 1992, Warner was inducted into the Women in Aviation International Pioneer Hall of Fame.
• Her name was placed in the International Forest of Friendship in 1993.
• The Emily Howell Warner Aviation Education Resource Center was created in the Granby Public Library in 1994.
• The Colorado Senate passed Resolution 94-29 in 1994. This honored Captain Emily Warner for her achievements in aviation history.
• She was inducted into the Colorado Wings over the Rockies Museum in 2000.
• She became an inductee into the National Women's Hall of Fame in 2001.
• She was inducted into the Colorado Women's Hall of Fame in 2002.
• Warner was inducted into the National Aviation Hall of Fame in 2014.