Sky's the limit after breaking aviation ceilings

  Not many Army second lieutenants in 1989 were flying fixed-wing aircraft, let alone serving as a pilot for the Army chief of engineers.

That year 2nd Lt. Angelia Farnell was also the first woman to serve in the aviation support unit at Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri, after the U.S. Army Engineer School and Center moved there.

"That was interesting ... to show up at a unit that didn't have female pilots," Farnell said, adding that all of the pilots were seasoned chief warrant officers, except for the commander who was a lieutenant colonel.

"The warrant officers gave me so much grief, because in their minds a second lieutenant should not have been flying airplanes."

She stood her ground, however, and proved her mettle flying UH-1H Hueys and the U-21 "Queen Air" fixed-wing aircraft. Soon she was asked to pilot the commanding general.



http://www.army.mil/article/163772/Sky_s_the_limit_after_breaking_aviation_ceilings/