About

I am a professional pilot with charter, corporate and airline experience (still flying ), and a professional athlete who managed an all-woman professional skydiving team for over 14 years. I have flown small planes and big planes, I have participated in world record skydiving attempts, I have jumped off cliffs and bridges, I delivered twins (one of them a breach), and I have raised a family by myself. (that’s a lie, every mother knows, it takes a village, and I have had an amazing one)

I am now pursuing the next chapter in my life with my blog, podcast,  and my book, still in progress, by the same name. This has been one of the biggest challenges of my life and I am enjoying every single second of it.

The gravely voices came loud and clear over the airwaves, deep and dark and said, “another empty kitchen”. What was that about?, I wondered. I heard it several times, before I queried a captain I was flying with, “What does that mean?”

He responded, “Well, you’re a woman, you probably left a husband and kids back home, and you took a job from a man.” Are you fricking kidding me! I was shocked and at that moment, my future became clear. I would write a book about my experiences as a mother, a wife (or an ex-wife as it ended up) and a woman pilot. The book would be called “Another Empty Kitchen.”

We are spreading the word that we can work our asses off, achieve our dreams, have children or take care of elderly parents, and share our stories with other women who might be questioning what they are doing with their lives.

Captain Terry London Rinehart shares her extraordinary family history and personal journey of being born with aviation in her DNA.

Both of Terry’s parents were WWII pilots — her father a cargo pilot, and her mother one of the original WASPs (Women's Air Service Pilots), as well as the Commander of her Squadron in Long Beach, California. She was also the only woman pilot in WWII to receive the Air Medal.

Growing up alongside her sister, Terry spent her childhood coloring and playing with dolls in the back of aircraft her parents test-flew for the famous Powder Puff Derby, originally founded in 1929 as the Women’s Air Derby.

At just 19 years old, Terry read an article about Trui Windried, the first Scandinavian woman airline pilot, and instantly knew that was the path she wanted to follow. Trusting her heart and her dreams, Terry went on to become one of the first female airline pilots in the United States. She began her career with Western Airlines and retired 29 years later from Delta Air Lines as a Captain on the Boeing 767.

But Terry wasn’t finished flying yet.

She went on to fly corporate aviation for another seven years, piloting both the Boeing 757 and 767 for a high-profile tech company.

A devoted wife and mother, Terry and her husband — also an airline pilot — carefully balanced their schedules while raising three children, all of whom eventually became pilots themselves.

Then, in her mid-70s, Terry received the shocking diagnosis of an aggressive form of breast cancer. Through determination, resilience, an unwavering positive attitude, and the support of a loving family and community, Terry — now nearly 78 years old — is cancer free and passionately spreading awareness about cancer risks later in life.

In her spare time, Terry has also dedicated the past 20 years to volunteering at Mary’s Kitchen in San Jose, California.

This is a story you do not want to miss.

Please listen, comment, and share this episode with anyone and everyone. This interview offers something meaningful for all of us to take to heart.

Thank you so much for listening and for your continued support.

Blue skies...

Organizations related to this episode:

⁠www.marthas-kitchen.org⁠ ⁠www.nationalbreastcancer.org⁠ ⁠www.bold.org/scholarships⁠