.. L..!!.....!!!......................!...............................R .-#- . Copyright ##86 G.E.L. Approximately 2,000 words JACKIE KLAUS - COMMERICAL PILOT Written by June Grayson Photographed by Richard Gra#son Iæ Jackiå K!auó seemó happù enougè tï wa!ë oî air¬ iô ió    onlù appropriatå considerinç heò profession® Aô thå agå oæ 5°    shå ió doinç jusô whaô shå haó alwayó wanteä tï do® Shå ió á    commerciaì pilot. Jackiå cannoô remembeò wheî shå diä noô lovå flying® "Mù    unc!å waó á pi!oô iî thå o!ä barn-storminç dayó anä É kne÷ alì    abouô hií even when I was a tood!er." Jackiå stil¡ rememberó heò firsô airplanå ride® Iô waó    iî á noisù DC-³ thaô fle÷ rounä trið froí Peoria¬ Illinois¬ tï    Chicago® "Mù parentó promiseä må á trið iæ É madå thå honoò    roll® Yoõ caî beô É waó oî thaô honoò ro!¡ thå nexô timå anä oî    thaô p!ane." Flyinç haä tï waiô unti¡ afte.ò co!!egå aô thå Universitù    of I!linois, Champaign, where Jackie majored in business. Her first job took her into flying as a TWA flight attendant. Buô Boâ Klaus¬ heò co!legå sweetheart¬ theî proposeä     marriage® "É guesó hå founä ouô ho÷ mucè hå misseä må wheî É Š     waó ouô oæ town," Jackie says. .PA Š .. L...!.!.......!....................................................!....R 1 Marriagå anä motherhood¬ however¬ diä noô diminisè heò lovå       oæ flying. The desire was on!y postponed. After their three children were in school ful!time, Jackie started flying lessons in 1971 at the local airport. "I waó glaä shå did,¢ sayó Boâ K!aus¬ "buô É thoughô iô wou!ä bå jusô       another hobby like bridge or tennis." "Even though I started flying just.for the fun of it," i Jackie says, "after I achieved one goa! I was hooked and I never quit® É waó fortunatå tï havå aó mù flighô instructoò anotheò       womaî piloô froí Peoriá - Jeaî McLaugh!in¬ twlevå yearó o!deò thaî       É aí - anä shå becamå mù ro!å mode!® Iî fact¬ wå werå copi!otó iî       thå 197¶ Powdeò Pufæ Derby® P!aceä iî thå toð ten¬ too¬ ouô oæ 4°       entries." Jackiå haó passeä a!¡ oæ heò ratingó - privatå pi!ot¬       commerciaì instrument¬ anä multi-engine® Shå haó eveî beeî checkeä       ouô to fly commercial seaplanes. "É didn'ô dï mucè commerciaì f!ying¬ though¬ unti¡ afteò       thå kidó lefô foò college,"sayó Jackie® "Buô oncå yoõ starô       teachinç other pi!ots, you can rea!ly rack up those flying hours. Shå instructeä theiò son¬ Scott¬ no÷ 26¬ whï recentlù       earneä hió privatå pilot'ó license® "É signeä hií ouô tï anotheò       instructor¬ though¬ foò hió solï flight® É waó afraiä that¬ !ikå       anù prouä mother¬ É mighô noô bå objectivå enougè tï finä anythinç       wrong with my son." Iî thå meantime¬ Boâ Klauó haä beeî busù foò thå pasô Š       twentù yearó aó presidenô oæ thå familù business¬ Klauó Radio¬       headquartered in Peoria, Illinois. Klaus Radio is a franchised   .PA Š .. L!!......!!..........................................................R distributoò foò electricaì applianceó anä electroniã componentó foò  mucè oæ Illinoió anä Iowá anä serviceó abouô 6,00° retaiì anä  industriaì accounts. Boâ haä neveò beeî interesteä iî flyinç buô useä tï re!ù oî  commerciaì f!ightó froí Peoriá foò businesó trips® Gradua!1y¬  however¬ commercia! air service disappeared at these smaller air- i ports and Bob had to travel many hours by car and sometimes stay overnight to attend important business meetings. "Onå daù iî 1975¬ É hearä Boâ bemoaî thå facô thaô hå coulä   noô makå aî emergencù meetinç iî Newton¬ Iowa¬ fivå houró awaù bù   car® É said,'whù don'ô yoõ !eô må flù yoõ there?§ Iô waó á   beautifuì daù foò f!ying¬ wå renteä á p!ane¬ anä É f!e÷ hií tï anä   froí hió meeting with no problems at all," Jackie says. "Iô waó noô untiì wå werå bacë homå thaô samå nighô anä É   waó grillinç ouò dinneò steak,¢ sayó Bob¬ "thaô É realizeä ho÷   convenienô ouò flighô haä been® Wå haä accomplisheä alì oæ ouò   goals¬ wå were rested, and I wasn't even !ate for dinner." Iô diä noô takå Boâ lonç tï buù á companù airp!ane® Iî   fact¬ thå companù boughô threå planeó thå firsô year® Jackiå ió thå   officiaì corporate pi!ot for Klaus Radio. Aó thå corporatå pilot¬ shå ió responsiblå noô onlù foò thå   actuaì flyinç buô a!sï foò schedu!inç thå aircrafô maintenance¬ foò   doinç thå paperworë foò thå company'ó aviatioî department¬ anä foò   p!anninç thå comforô anä conveniencå oæ thå passengeró oî alì   flights® Theiò presenô aircrafô ió á Pipeò Senecá IIÉ witè twiî   engines¬ siø lusè leatheò seats¬ anä alì thå !atesô flyinç gadgetó Š  thaô makå flying safe and easy. Jackiå sayó thaô shå haó neveò experienceä anù discrim!na   tion because she is a woman. "If you have the skills and can do .PA Š .. L!.......!..........................................................R thå job¬ peoplå wilì kno÷ iô anä yoõ geô thå respect® É thinë thaô  womeî caî dï anythinç wå seô ouò mindó to¬ buô É wanô tï bå  respecteä becauså oæ whaô É caî do¬ anä becauså É earneä thaô  respecô - noô because I am a woman." Shå enjoyó rememberinç onå incident¬ however® "Iô waó noô  sï mucè discrimination as awe," Jackie relates. "Several #years ago I flew some women friends from Peoria to Chicago for a shopping trip on Michigan Avenue. We landed at Meigs Field just soutè oæ thå Chicagï Looð iî baä weather® Wheî wå goô ouô oæ thå  planå anä trai!eä througè thå f!ighô room¬ therå werå alì thoså malå  pilotó battinç thå breezå abouô thå weatheò anä ho÷ baä iô waó ouô  there® Anä herå wå alì werå iî ouò gooä clotheó withouô eveî onå  haiò ouô oæ place. Their mouths just sort of fe!! open." Jackiå noô onlù serveó aó corporatå pi!oô foò Klauó Radiï _anä á flight instructor at Mt. Haw!ey Airport, but she is on call witè thå companù planå aó á charteä pilot® Iî fact¬ oî Tuesdays¬  shå maù hoð iî thå planå beforå 6.0° aí tï flù tï St® Louió tï picë  uð á surgeoî whï wi!¡ spenä thå daù operatinç aô St® Franció Medicaì  Centeò iî Peoria® Theî shå flieó hií bacë tï St® Louió wheî hió  surgerù ió over for the day. Jackiå doeó havå á hobbù thaô thå malå charteò pi!otó dï noô  have® Shå workó oî heò needlepoinô durinç thå inevitab!å delayó aô  thå airport. Thió maù bå thå besô oæ timeó foò anù womaî whï haó á yeî tï  fly® Thå expansioî anä deregu!atioî oæ thå air!inå industrù haó  createä aî unprecedented demand for pilots that may take five years to fill. Š "Thå cockpiô ió seø anä coloò b!ind,¢ accordinç tï Davå  Husar¬ director of Aviation Training Enterprise, American F!yers' .PA Š .. L.!......!!............................................................R ---.--- .-=- -, -- -.-#= traininç faci!itù locateä iî wesô suburbaî Chicago® "WOmeî arå almosô   50¥ oæ thå worë forcå buô onlù 6¥ oæ al¡ pilotó arå women¬ onlù 3¥ oæ   alì commerciallù rateä pilotó arå women¬ anä on!ù .003¥ oæ alì airlinå   pilotó arå women® Iæ yoõ havå thå ski!!s¬ á womaî wilì geô á joâ iî   aviatioî today." Neitheò ió á collegå degreå á prerequisite® Tï completå £ thå training for all ratings takes four to.five months of four houró á daù foò fivå dayó á week® Totaì cosô ió $15,00° tï $20,000®   Thå onlù drawbacë ió thaô nï schooü oò scholarship£ !oanó arå avai!   ablå foò aviatioî training® Mosô committeä aviatioî studentó seeë á   personaì banë loaî oò theù worë parô timå anä traiî parô time® Afteò   securinç á mu!ti-enginå rating¬ á pi|oô wil¡ havå 23° loggab!å flighô   houró anä 20° houró oæ grounä education® Thå minimuí agå tï geô á   commerciaì !icnese is 18 years. Formerly¬ corporationó woulä noô consideò hirinç pi!otó untiì   theù haä 50° houró oæ flighô time® No÷ thå demanä foò pi!otó ió sï   greaô thaô Uniteä Air!ines¬ foò examp!e¬ ió interviewinç pi!otó witè á   minimuí oæ onlù 40° hours® Maximuí agå tï starô flyinç foò thå   air!ineó ió 3µ yearó buô businesó corporationó wi!¡ hirå pi!otó iî   theiò forties and fifties if they have the right training and experience. Husaò sayó thaô womeî useä tï starô f!yinç becauså oæ theiò   husbands® No÷ theù continuå flyinç iî spitå oæ theiò husbands® Thå   husbanä maù bå toï busù tï continuå flighô traininç buô thå wifå findó Š   shå !ikeó f!yinç sï mucè thaô shå continueó on#tï geô additionaì   ratings. "Women sometimes make better students than men," Husar thinks, .PA Š .. L.......!.................!............................................R "becauså therå ió nï c!asè oæ malå egoó iî thå cockpit® Theù wi!¡ Iisteî anä obeù theiò instructoró better® Oæ course¬ thaô cou!ä bå á prob!eí lateò oî wheî thå womaî piloô haó tï assumå thå 'piloô iî command§ atti#ude® Buô iæ á womaî haó beeî cu!tura!lù conditioneä tï bå subservient, she can a!so be oonditioned to take command," Husar contends. Thå piloô iî commanä attitudå ió no.probleí foò Jackiå Klaus® "I'vå onlù madå onå suggestioî tï Jackiå sincå wå starteä flyinç anä shå camå righô bacë witè -'Listen¬ arå yoõ goinç tï flù thió p!anå oò aí I?§ É haven't opened my mouth since," laughs Bob Klaus. Jackiå haó amasseä oveò 6,00° flyinç houró durinç heò fifteeî yeaò careeò anä shå haó nï intentioî oæ stoppinç now® Shå wantó tï competå iî thå 198· Internationaì Aiò Classiã Race¬ thå successoò tï thå Powdeò Pufæ Derby® Jackiå ió á membeò oæ thå 99's¬ thå sponsoò oæ thå racå anä thå originaì flyinç organizatioî foò womeî starteä iî 192¹ bù Amerliá Earharô anä Jackiå Cochraoî togetheò wilì 9· otheò famouó womeî aviation pioneers. Á pressinç concerî oæ everù pi!oô ió passinç thå periodiã physica¡ examination® #hå Federa¡ Aviatioî Administratioî haó seô uð rigiä criteriá tï providå foò thå renewa¡ oæ á pi!ot'ó medicaì certifi cation® Sï á pilot'ó careeò coulä enä abruptlù iæ foò somå reasoî hå oò shå could not pass the physical. Jackiå nopå thaô heò perfecô helatè continueó anä thaô shå neveò haó tï retire. "As long as I have my medical, I will be out there f!ying." ############ .PA Š