Our first Aviation Alumni is Ruth Fredericks. We affectionately refer to her as “Captain Ruth,” but more on that later. Ruth was born in Lebanon and grew up in Perth, Australia. Her aviation inspiration came from her dad, the Vice President of Maintenance for Singapore Airlines. Ruth’s exposure to large aircraft at an early age influenced her decision, made at four years old, to become a pilot.
Ruth arrived in America in 1989 and began taking flying lessons at the San Carlos Airport with Golden Gate Aviation. While flying at Golden Gate Aviation, she completed her Private, Instrument, Commercial, and Certified Flight Instructor ratings and certificates. Fun Fact: Davi Howard, Airport Communications Specialist, was working as an Air Traffic Controller at San Carlos Airport on the day that Ruth made her first solo flight.
While working as a flight instructor at Golden Gate Aviation, Ruth landed a job with KGO Radio as a traffic watch pilot, flying the Piper Cherokee and Cessna 172 while circling the Bay Area freeways with a traffic reporter on board. With her lifelong goal of becoming an airline pilot in the forefront, Ruth obtained her bachelor’s degree in Aviation Operations from San Jose State University in 1993.
Ruth was working as the Assistant Chief Flight Instructor at Trans Bay Aviation at the San Carlos Airport. With the required minimum flight hours under her belt, Ruth secured her first airline pilot job with Air Midwest in Wichita, Kansas, flying the Beech 1900. From there, it was onward and upward for Ruth! From 1996 –99, Ruth flew the Boeing 727, McDonnell Douglas DC-9, and MD-80 for Trans World Airlines.
From 1999 to the present, Ruth has flown the Boeing 727, 757, and 767, the Airbus A320, and A321-neo for American Airlines where she was promoted to Captain. This is why we refer to her as “Captain Ruth.”
Captain Ruth recently told us, “Of all the flying I’ve ever done, flying out of San Carlos Airport was the most fun ever!”
