Yvonne Cunha
Yvonne Cunha (March 1945 – March 25, 2023) was a Belgian airline pilot.[1][2] She was the first Belgian woman to become a commercial airline pilot and is recognized as one of the first women worldwide to pilot a Boeing commercial aircraft.[3]
Early life
Cunha was born in Antwerp, Belgium.[4] She began flying gliders at the age of 16.[5]
Aviation career
In 1974, Cunha became a First Officer with Trans European Airways (TEA). She was the first female pilot to operate a Boeing 707 on a commercial flight.[6] In 1977, she was promoted to captain on the Boeing 737, and in 1985, she became one of the first women to captain an Airbus A300.[7] In 2001, she joined VLM Airlines, where she served as captain, instructor, examiner, and training manager.[8]
References
- ^ "REPORTAGE. Pussy's laatste lijnvlucht". De Standaard (in Flemish). 2005-05-11. Retrieved 2025-04-24.
- ^ Thompson, Paul (2015-01-05). "The First Female Boeing 707 Pilot Was Known As 'Captain Pussy'". Jalopnik. Retrieved 2025-04-05.
- ^ "2005-05-10 Yvonne Cunha - VLM Airlines". 2006-03-20. Archived from the original on 20 March 2006. Retrieved 2025-04-05.
- ^ "Captain Pussy: van pr-stunt tot pionier". DeMorgen.be. Retrieved 2025-04-24.
- ^ "Yvonne Cunha" (PDF). www.ninety-nines.org. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2025-02-25. Retrieved 2025-04-05.
- ^ Thompson, Paul (2015-01-05). "The First Female Boeing 707 Pilot Was Known As 'Captain Pussy'". Jalopnik. Retrieved 2025-04-05.
- ^ Noëth, Bart (2023-04-13). "Captain Pussy, first female Boeing 707 pilot and first captain on the Boeing 737 in Europe, passes away". Aviation24.be. Retrieved 2025-04-05.
- ^ Rédaction, La. "Yvonne Cunha, la première femme pilote de ligne Belge rend son tablier…". TourMaG.com, le média spécialiste du tourisme francophone (in French). Retrieved 2025-04-05.