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As the first woman in the cockpit, Regula Eichenberger had to put up with a lot. The passion for flying remained.
Even as a young girl, Regula Eichenberger had flying in her blood. Her father, who was a flight instructor, supported her in her dream of one day being in the cockpit and flying an airplane herself. In 1983 Eichenberger became the first Swiss airline co-pilot and in 1985 the first female flight captain.
As effortless as she got off to a flying start, it was just as bumpy entering a male-dominated industry. In the talk at “Gesichter&Gesichter” (“Gesichter&Zeiten”), the aviation pioneer takes a look back at this time.
In the aviation industry, Regula Eichenberger first had to gain respect. She was not always welcomed with open arms – and she often heard critical comments. This is also shown by old archive recordings: “I was surprised when I saw two women getting into the cockpit,” says a passenger from the time. When asked if she thought the stewardesses would fly, the woman replies with a laugh: “Yes, probably. That’s what it looked like.”
The aviation pioneer also tells of an argument with a passenger who blamed the troubled flight in bad weather on the fact that a woman was flying the plane. Without further ado, she whistled the man forward into the cockpit and spoke to him about his misogynist comment. In addition to negative comments, there were also many positive reactions.
With the steering column between my legs, my skirt would have ridden up. That would not have been suitable for flying.
There were also discrepancies with the dress code. Moritz Suter, the founder of the Swiss airline “Crossair”, asked her to wear a short skirt at work. She refused, says the former pilot. “It wouldn’t have been possible. With the steering column between my legs, my skirt would have ridden up. That would not have been suitable for flying,” says Eichenberger.
Eichenberger wrote about her eventful life in her biography “Above the Clouds”. In it she not only talks about her extraordinary career, but also gives insights into private, sometimes very painful moments in her life. So she reveals what is probably the greatest stroke of fate to date, the loss of her husband.
Although her path was anything but easy, Regula Eichenberger would contest it again. She is fascinated by flying. Nothing will change about that.
Regula Eichenberger
former professional pilot and first airline pilot in Switzerland