(ABOVE) After nearly forty years as a Hawaiian Airlines pilot, Capt. Kendall “Kiki” Culler (center) and crew celebrated her retirement with a final flight from Honolulu to Boston.
Captain Kendall "Kiki" Culler didn't set out to be a trailblazer when she joined Hawaiian Airlines as a pilot in 1984. Yet over the course of nearly four decades at the airline, she became just that. "I didn't want to be a 'woman pilot,'" Capt. Culler told me recently over lunch. "I just wanted to be a pilot." She retired from Hawaiian in July as the most senior pilot in our nine-hundred-plus pilot corps, with thirty-eight spotless years of service.
Captain Culler grew up in and around planes, but it was a demo flight she took when she was eighteen that fueled her love of flying. "Once you take that demo flight and feel that first spark of passion, there's no stopping you. You're hooked," she recalls. Culler inspired legions of pilots and crew members throughout her celebrated career and played a role in breaking down barriers for women pursuing careers in aviation.
Changing a male-dominated industry wasn't easy. Hawaiian had men-only cabin crews until 1943 and began hiring female flight attendants only after many of our male employees left to fight in World War II. It would be another thirty years before women occupied the cockpit.
Sharyn "Sherry" Emminger wasn't looking for the title of "first female pilot" when she applied to Hawaiian in 1978. She had also applied to Western Airlines and was getting ready for her final interview, when Hawaiian called and offered her the job. Lucky for us she accepted. The following year, Capt. Emminger again made history. She and first officer Karen Squyres (the second female pilot hired at Hawaiian) and flight attendant Trude Asada became the first all-female crew to operate a commercial flight in the United States.
Captain Culler joined Hawaiian as a first officer five years after that historic flight. There were fewer than ten female pilots at the company at the time. There wasn't a dedicated locker room for women, so Capt. Culler had to shower in the men's locker room. That wasn't the only challenge she and her female colleagues faced. Old stereotypes die hard, and their flying skills were closely scrutinized by male counterparts. Captain Culler was undaunted; she stayed focused, remained positive and worked hard. She earned her captain's stripes in three years, leaving little doubt that she belonged in the cockpit.
Captain Culler spent the next three decades building her career, raising a family and paving the way for more women in aviation. She recalled several times when, despite wearing a pilot's uniform, people assumed she was a flight attendant or a skycap. Once, a passenger even asked to change flights upon learning that a woman was captaining the plane. Captain Culler took it in stride, focusing on moments that reinforced her decision to become a pilot: When parents pointed her out to their children while walking through the airport, or being a guest's first female captain and giving them an outstanding flying experience. Over the years, Capt. Culler became a mentor to scores of newly hired pilots.
Many took Capt. Culler's example to heart. Today, Hawaiian has the highest percentage of female pilots in the industry-just over nine percent. I am committed to seeing that number continue to grow. And while it wasn't in her plans to be a trailblazer, there's no denying the enormous impact Capt. Culler has had on so many careers.
"It's been a great ride," she says. It has indeed.
From our 'ohana to yours,
Peter Ingram, Chief Executive Officer, Hawaiian Airlines
