Lieutenant colonel Kathy La Sauce | |
|---|---|
 Kathy La Sauce standing before a C-141 Starlifter | |
| Born | 1949or1950(age 75–76) |
| Occupation | Pilot |
| Known for | First woman to pilot a C-141 Starlifter |
Lieutenant colonel Kathy La Sauce (born 1949 or 1950) is a former United States Air Force (USAF) pilot. She was the first woman to pilot a C-141 Starlifter, and the first woman aircraft commander at Norton Air Force Base.
La Sauce was born in 1949 or 1950. She graduated college in the early 1970s [1] and worked as an English teacher in New York. [2] She joined the United States Air Force in 1972 with no flying experience. [3] She began flight training at Williams Air Force Base on September 29, 1976 with a group of women, Undergraduate Pilot Training (UPT) class 77-08, many of whom would go on to attain notable achievements in their field. The class became the USAF's first class of women graduates on September 2, 1977. [4] La Sauce retired from the military in 1992. [5] La Sauce and the other members of UPT class 77-08 were inducted to the Women in Aviation, International Pioneer Hall of Fame in 2016. [6]
She reached the rank of lieutenant colonel. [7]