1970s Woman Pilot Reveals Where She ‘Drew the Line’ With Passenger Requests [Video]

Stephanie Wallach, one of the first female airline pilots in the United States, faced both challenges and triumphs throughout her groundbreaking career in a male-dominated industry.

Now 78 years old and living in Medina, Washington, Wallach’s journey in aviation began in 1975, at a time when female pilots were an extreme rarity in commercial airlines.

Wallach, who is from New Rochelle, New York, was hired by Braniff Airways in December 1975 and she was one of only 10 female airline pilots in the country at the time, she said. She later joined Alaska Airlines, where she rose to the rank of captain within six years.

In 2006, after more than three decades in aviation, Wallach became the first female Alaska Airlines pilot to retire upon reaching the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA)-mandated retirement age, as reported by The Seattle Times in February 2006.

Although Wallach encountered resistance from …