Captain Lynn Rippelmeyer - Life Takes Wings: Becoming the Worlds First Female 747 Pilot

Life Takes Wings

Praise for Life Takes Wings

A true story of a womans drive and intensity, told with humility, grace and humor. Life Takes Wings is a great American flying story. In this rendition of Captain Rippelmeyers flying life, readers will admire the determination, sacrifice, and courage it took to realize her dream.

Deborah Douglas , author of American Women and Flight, 1940 to the present , Smithsonian Library

Captain Rippelmeyers book is one of the best chronicles of a flying life that I have ever read. She meets turbulence with determination and fortitude, but with a positive approach and a marvelous sense of humor, which seems to be rare these days. Life Takes Wings is a definite must-read for anyone wishing to chart a successful career path.

Jacqueline Boyd, Ph.D. Chair, Amelia Earhart Memorial Scholarship Fund, and 99s 2020 recipient of the Award of Achievement for Contributions to Aviation

A trailblazer tells her story of love and devotion to flying. Lynns determination and love to fly took an Illinois farm girl to the top of the pilot world flying the largest commercial aircraft, a Boeing 747. Lynns story details the obstacles on the way and how she overcame them to achieve what everyone told her was impossible. Her shared thoughts and emotions of the wonder, beauty, and amazement of flying are universal and yours to enjoy within these pages. You will be inspired to follow your dreams.

Joe Ballweg , retired TWA flight attendant TWA museum volunteer

Fascinating story of a remarkable woman. I found Life Takes Wings to be an easy read with real pilot info, facts, and placement reminding me of works by Ernest Gann and Kerry McCauley. Its a fun book to take along when youre on the road or in the air.

Captain Todd Stokke , United 737 Captain

Lynn Rippelmeyer achieved what they said could not be done. Life Takes Wings gives a peek into the private, even secretive, life of the men-dominated aviation industry. Even as a lifelong professional pilot of fighters and commercial aircraft, I was surprised to find what sometimes happens behind the closed cockpit doors. Through her humor and openness, Lynn shares with us what it takes to reach a goal. What a powerful, gutsy woman she is!

Captain Shawn Mack , LtCol USAF, Operational Ready in F15, A10, F16, Check Airman and FFDO on A320, A330, B757, B767, B787 Instructor at Northwest Airlines (retired)

The epic story of taking advantage of every opportunity as it presents. Told as if her life was a series of chance events, Captain Lynn Rippelmeyer also unblinkingly recalls the struggles which she faced in an aviation world not ready to accept her or any woman in the commercial pilot seat. As a colleague at Seaboard World Airlines, I found Lynns achievements to be the result of her extraordinary diligence, efforts, talent, and character. Her book is well worth reading.

Capt. Ken Kahn , Webmaster for Seaboard World Airlines

This book is a great read for the pilot and non-pilot alike. Lynns intriguing life story is one of perseverance and determination, while using the law of attraction. Lynn forged through a world that was believed to be for men only simply because she loved to fly. She approaches life with a joy, vigor, and not a hint of ego. This book is not only about being the first female 747 pilot, but also how life is a wonderful adventure if you decide to make it so. Lynns life adventure is one you will not want to miss!

Jere Gardner , retired air traffic controller

Life Takes Wings reads like a good friend telling you a story over the kitchen table. I felt I was with Lynn as she left her home and family to enter the field of aviation first as a flight attendant and then as a pilot. The reader feels a part of her life decisions, challenges, and triumphs, and wants to see where each page leads. You come to know Captain Rippelmeyer as the take-charge, adventurous, humble, caring, compassionate person she is just Lynn.

Fay Ross , Paraprofessional, friend, Waterloo, Illinois

This book was difficult to put down! I have known Lynn since 1979 when she joined us at the second ISA (International Society of Women Airline Pilots) convention. Sharing the same generation of pioneer airline pilots, we thirst to learn of our respective backgrounds.

Reading Life Takes Wings , I became totally engrossed in learning about Lynns journey from an Illinois farm girl to the first woman to fly a B-747 at a time when such a trek certainly seemed unattainable. Her recollection of details makes this an incredible read. She is an exquisite writer, and her story is delightful!

I highly recommend letting her share her arduous climb to the top of the airline world with you.

Captain Beverley Bass , American Airlines B-777 (retired) Female pilot featured in the Broadway musical Come From Away, Winner of Best Musical across North America, Canada, United Kingdom, and Australia Author of Me and the Sky: Captain Beverly Bass, Pioneering Pilot

LIFE TAKES

WINGS

LESSONS LEARNED BY THE
WORLDS FIRST FEMALE 747 PILOT

CAPTAIN LYNN RIPPELMEYER

NEW YORK

LONDONNASHVILLEMELBOURNEVANCOUVER

2022 Lynn Rippelmeyer

All rights reserved. No portion of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any meanselectronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, scanning, or otherexcept for brief quotations in critical reviews or articles, without the prior written permission of the publisher.

Published in New York, New York, by Morgan James Publishing. Morgan James is a trademark of Morgan James, LLC. www.MorganJamesPublishing.com

Life Takes Wings, a memoir, reflects the authors present recollections of experiences over time. Some names and details have been changed to protect the identity of those involved. Some events and time frames have been compressed, and dialogue has been recreated based on the authors memory.

Printed in the United States of America. Proudly distributed by Ingram Publisher Services.

Morgan James is a proud partner of Habitat for Humanity Peninsula and Greater Williamsburg. Partners in building since 2006.

Get involved today! Visit MorganJamesPublishing.com/giving-back

This book is dedicated to the many who:

• had complete confidence in my abilities
• pushed me beyond my comfort zone
• stepped into the teacher role to allow me to learn
• set an example for the kind of person I wanted to be
• showed up as a guide at just the right place and time
• listened, shared, laughed, and cried with me along the way
• played a supporting role in my life stories.

And, to my sons, Lucas and Scott.

Crew Resource Management, or CRM, is a concept in aviation stating that a team effort is far more effectiveand fun than a lone-wolf, know-it-all dictator. I fully subscribe to this belief as a pilot, a human being, and an author.

I had a supportive crew who felt I had a story worth telling with me on every leg of this memoirs journey. Their combined knowledge, opinions, and insight helped make the creation of this book a fun, shared experience.