Wally Fink is one of the world’s most accomplished female pilots and a pioneer in breaking barriers for women in aviation and space exploration. She died peacefully at her home in Grapevine TexasWednesday. She is 87 years old. Grapevine city spokesperson Mona Quintanilla confirmed her death. The city of Grapevine said she died surrounded by loved ones. Wally Funk is famous for chasing the dream of space for more than 60 years.
In July 2021, at the age of 82, she finally flew into space on Blue Origin’s New Shepard rocket. At the time, she became the oldest woman ever to travel in space and set a Guinness World Record. She was also the only member of the Mercury 13 program to go into space. Wally Funk has worked in aviation for more than 70 years as a pilot, instructor and safety expert. “Aviation is my whole life. I eat it, I breathe it,” she wrote in her 2020 memoir, according to The New York Times.
Mercury 13 and Space Dreams
In the early 1960s, Fink was selected as one of 25 women to be tested for possible space missions. The group was later reduced to 13 women and became known as the “Mercury 13”. The women of Mercury 13 underwent rigorous physical and psychological testing to see how women would fare in space. Fink was the only pilot on the Mercury 13 team to be trained and pass all tests.
In several tests, she performed better than many male astronauts. Although she was fully qualified, NASA did not allow women to become astronauts at the time. Instead, NASA selected the all-male Mercury 7 astronauts for America’s first space mission.
Fink reportedly applied multiple times to join the NASA astronaut program but was never accepted. New York Second-rate. It wasn’t until 1978, when Fink was 39, that NASA admitted women to its astronaut corps.
her aviation career
Even though he missed the opportunity to join NASA, Fink continued to build an extraordinary career in aviation. She became the first female flight instructor at Fort Sill Army Base in Oklahoma. She later became the first female inspector with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). She also became the first female aviation safety investigator with the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB).
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According to CBS News, she trained more than 3,000 pilots during her career. Fink also owns a flight school in Taos, New Mexico. She flies twin-engine airliners for Sierra Pacific Airlines. Her memoir said she logged more than 19,000 hours of flying time, and the city of Grapevine later said she completed more than 30,000 hours of flying time during her career.
Her historic Blue Origin flight
Funk’s lifelong dream came true in July 2021, when she joined Blue Origin’s New Shepard NS-16 mission. She flew with Blue Origin founder Jeff Bezos, his brother Mark Bezos and one other crew member. After landing, Fink said she saw the darkness of space and loved every moment of the journey. She also said she wished the flights could last longer.
early life
Wally Funk was born Mary Wallace Funk on February 1, 1939 in Las Vegas, but she preferred to be called Wally. She grew up in Taos, New Mexico, where her father owned a five-and-dime store. She said her love of flying began when she was five years old when she jumped out of her father’s barn wearing a Superman cape.
Education and pilot training
Fink earned his pilot’s license while studying at Stephens College in Missouri. She later attended Oklahoma State University, which has a prestigious flight school. By the age of 19, she was certified to fly gliders and seaplanes. She later said that when she started flying as a teenager, people didn’t question her because she was a girl.
Awards and Honors
Fink was inducted into the International Aviation Pioneers Hall of Fame in 1995. In 2017, her name was added to the Wall of Honor at the National Air and Space Museum in Washington. In 2024, she was inducted into the Texas Aviation Hall of Fame, CBS News reported.
she was also included Mercury Hall of Fame. She will also be inducted posthumously into the International Space Hall of Fame at the New Mexico Space History Museum.
Stephens College honors Fink with the Alumni Achievement Award. She also received several aviation awards during her career, including the Oklahoma State University Outstanding Female Pilot Trophy.
her legacy
Planetary scientist Tanya Harrison said Fink proved she was as capable, if not more capable, than many of the men involved in early space missions. Grapevine City Councilor Duff O’Dell said Fink’s determination showed that dreams have no age limit and her life continues to inspire young people, especially girls, to pursue careers in science, aviation and space.
Wally Funk never married, and her life is remembered as the story of a woman who broke barriers, refused to give up on her dreams, and finally reached space after waiting more than sixty years.
