Wally Funk

Mary Wallace Funk (born February 1, 1939) is an American aviator, commercial astronaut, and Goodwill Ambassador.

She was the first female air safety investigator for the National Transportation Safety Board, the first female civilian flight instructor at Fort Sill, Oklahoma, and the first female Federal Aviation Agency inspector, as well as one of the Mercury 13.

Funk became the oldest person to go to space on July 20, 2021, at age 82, flying on Blue Origin's New Shepard spacecraft during its suborbital flight, breaking a record held by John Glenn for 23 years.

Her record would stand until later that year when William Shatner's flight took place on October 13; Shatner was age 90 at the time.

Funk continues to hold the record for the oldest woman to travel to space.

Together with Gene Nora Jessen, Funk is one of the last two surviving members of the Mercury 13 group.

She is also the only one of the thirteen to have traveled to space.

Funk was born in Las Vegas, New Mexico, in 1939 and grew up in Taos, New Mexico.

Her parents owned a variety store.

The family had a collection of artwork from artists at the Taos art colony, as the artists would trade artwork to pay off their debt at the store.

As a child, Funk was captivated by planes.

When she was one year old, her parents took her to an airport near where they lived in New Mexico and she got up close to a Douglas DC-3, an early airliner.

"I go right to the wheel and I try to turn the nut," she says.

"Mother said: 'She’s going to fly. She became interested in mechanics and built model airplanes and ships. By the time she was seven, she was making planes from balsa wood. At nine, she had her first flying lesson.

Funk was also an accomplished outdoorswoman, spending time riding her bike or her horse, skiing, hunting, and fishing.

At age 14, she became an expert marksman, receiving the Distinguished Rifleman's Award.

The National Rifle Association of America sent her incredible shooting results to the president, Dwight Eisenhower, and he wrote back to her.

At the same time she represented the southwestern United States as Top Female Skier, Slalom and Downhill races in United States competition.

As a high school student, Funk wanted to take courses such as mechanical drawing and auto mechanics, but because she was a girl, she was permitted to take only courses such as home economics.

Frustrated, Funk left high school early at the age of 16 and entered Stephens College in Columbia, Missouri.

Funk became a member of the "Flying Susies" and rated first in her class of 24 fliers.

She graduated in 1958 with her pilot's license and an Associate of Arts degree.

Funk moved on to complete a Bachelor of Science degree in Secondary Education at Oklahoma State University.

While at OSU, Funk was a member of Alpha Chi Omega, Gamma Epsilon chapter.

Funk was drawn to OSU primarily by its famous "Flying Aggies" program.

At OSU, Funk earned a large number of aviation certificates and ratings, including her Commercial, Single-engine Land, Multi-engine Land, Single-engine Sea, Instrument, Flight Instructor's, and all Ground Instructor's ratings.

Funk was elected as an officer of the "Flying Aggies" and flew for them in the International Collegiate Air Meets.

She received the "Outstanding Female Pilot" trophy, the "Flying Aggie Top Pilot" and the "Alfred Alder Memorial Trophy" two years in succession.

At 20 years old, Funk became a professional aviator.

Her first job was at Fort Sill, Oklahoma, as a Civilian Flight Instructor of noncommissioned and commissioned officers of the United States Army.

Funk was the first female flight instructor at a US military base.

In the fall of 1961, she accepted a job as a Certified Flight Instructor, Charter, and Chief Pilot with an aviation company in Hawthorne, California.

Funk earned her Airline Transport Rating in 1968, the 58th woman in the U.S. to do so.

She applied to three commercial airlines but, like other qualified female pilots, was turned away because of her sex.

In 1971, Funk earned the rating of flight inspector from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), becoming the first woman to complete the FAA's General Aviation Operations Inspector Academy course, which includes Pilot Certification and Flight Testing procedures, handling accidents, and violations.

She worked for four years with the FAA as a field examiner, the first woman to do so.

In 1973 she was promoted to FAA SWAP (Systems Worthiness Analysis Program) as a specialist, the first woman in the United States to hold this position.

In late November 1973, Wally again entered the FAA Academy to take courses involving air-taxi, charter, and aviation rental businesses.

In 1974, Funk was hired by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) as its first female Air Safety Investigator.

Funk investigated 450 accidents, ranging from a probable mob hit to a fatal crash at a mortuary.