Top 5 Most Famous Flight Attendants In The History Of Aviation
Being a flight attendant is not an easy task. Sometimes, people think that for this profession, it’s enough to smile and be good-looking.
But, to become a flight attendant, you need to go through years of training. It is the FA who is primarily responsible for each passenger on board in case of an emergency. People of this profession have often shown courage and strength.
Heinrich Kubis
He was the first flight attendant in the world. Back then, the term " flight attendant" didn't exist and they were called "couriers". Heinrich began his career as a flight attendant in 1912. He worked on the airship LZ 10 Schwaben.
Kubis was on board of the "Hindenburg" zeppelin during the disaster. When the "Hindenburg" exploded, Kubis had helped passengers jump into a safe place before jumping out of it himself.
Ellen Church
Ellen Church was the first female flight attendant to start her career in the 1930s. She was also a pilot.
Unfortunately, at that time, airlines did not hire women. Getting a woman aboard the plane as an employee was impossible. Ellen resented such a situation. She was a nurse and was able to convince airlines that female nurses were best able to take care of passengers and help them feel safe during the flight. Her idea was a success and thanks to Ellen airlines began to hire women to work as flight attendants.
Vesna Vulović
Vulović was the only one who survived the DC-9 plane crash. A terrorist group planted a bomb on the aircraft. The plane was crashed into a mountain on the 33,330 ft height.
On that day, all 28 passengers died, but, Vulović survived. She is considered one of the luckiest flight attendants in the world and holds the World Guinness record for the highest fall without a parachute.
Despite the terrible injuries, the woman regained her health and continued to work in aviation, and being an advocate of peace.
Neerja Bhanot
Neerja Bhanot was a senior flight attendant at Pan Am Airlines. On September 5, 1986, Bhanot died at the age of 23 as a result of a plane hijacking. But she became a hero.
As a senior flight attendant, she took responsibility for passengers, protecting them from the terrorists who hijacked the plane. Bhanot opened the door and helped the passengers escape. The terrorists opened fire, Neerja died, protecting three children from bullets.
She was posthumously awarded Ashoka Chakra, India's highest peacetime military decoration awarded for valor, courageous action or self-sacrifice.
Ruth Taylor
Ruth was the first POC flight attendant in the US. She has graduated as a registered nurse from the Bellevue School of Nursing in 1955.
She initially applied to Trans World Airlines (TWA), but her application was rejected. Then she applied to regional operator Mohawk Airlines that was interested in hiring minority flight attendants.
Ruth began working as a flight attendant in December 1957, and was the flight attendant for the Ithaca-New York flight on February 11, 1958, being the first minority person to do so.
Unfortunately, she had to resign in six months due to the then-common marriage ban. She then became a women's rights activist.
