Volunteer Spotlight: Pilot Betty Uhrig

In September 2021, Planet Women launched The Colorado River Overflight Project and we embarked on the first-ever flyover of the entire Colorado River with women pilots. From a birds-eye view, Indigenous women and youth passengers experienced parts of the river that hold special importance to their lives and heritage in new ways. The passengers shared stories and made connections that will help secure the health of the Colorado River for many generations. And in June 2022, we hosted a storytelling workshop to inspire people to give voice to their experiences.

Now, as we close out the project, we want to thank the amazing volunteers who made this project happen. One of these volunteers is Betty Uhrig. Betty generously piloted more flights for the Colorado River Overflight Project than anyone else, and her own story is one of inspiring female leadership and overcoming bias.

Pilot Betty Uhrig with mother and daughter passengers, KeAloha and Aulani, near Show Low, AZ. © Planet Women.

Betty is a pioneer and record-setter in numerous ways. Here is the list of firsts that Betty holds: first enlisted woman in the U.S. Coast Guard Aviation enlisted program, first female aviation technician repairing cargo and amphibious planes in the United States Coast Guard, Pilot in Command of the first all-female flight crew aboard a C-130 Hercules aircraft, and the first female Executive Officer for the highest-ranking Coast Guard officer’s Gulfstream III jet. In her post-military career, Betty was the first female Chief Pilot, Executive Fleet and General Manager of Chevron’s aviation program with responsibility for a fleet of more than 120 aircraft.

During the time that Betty was in the Coast Guard, she didn’t have a lot of women around her. She was told she could not work on helicopters because women are too weak to operate the hoist on helicopters. “I was young and naive, so I accepted that. That’s how I got to work on the other airplanes, which worked out for the best later in my life as I went on to become a pilot.” Some male Coast Guard members refused to fly with her because of her gender but she persisted, figuring those men were losing out. Betty more than earned the respect and trust of her male colleagues. In fact, crew signups on her flights were always oversubscribed; more than twice as many people signed up to fly with her on deployments than what she needed.

“I will fly anywhere, anytime,” Betty says, adding that she loves soaring over the Grand Canyon. “It’s an entirely different world from above,” she says. While a drone can overfly and make observations of waterways, Betty says there’s nothing like really feeling flight – for yourself, in your heart, in your body.

On the plane selfie with Betty, KeAloha and Aulani on their flight near Show Low, AZ. © Planet Women.

In retirement, Betty has not stopped learning or helping others. Betty was the first pilot to volunteer for The Colorado River Basin Overflight Project. She has loved sharing the skies with Fort Mojave Tribal member and Indigenous Women’s Leadership Network co-founder Nora McDowell, among others. 

Betty noted that not only has she learned a lot about the tribes from passengers of the Overflight Project, but she has appreciated seeing the land below from their perspective. One of her passengers had heard from tribal leaders about certain places that hold spiritual meaning but that are not accessible by road. Getting to facilitate the passengers seeing these sites from the sky “was more than wonderful,” Betty said. 

Pilot Betty with passengers Nora and Isabella near Bullhead City, AZ. © Planet Women.

In addition to volunteering with Planet Women, Betty volunteers with Keep Sedona Beautiful and is a member of three boards, including the Ninety-Nines International Organization of Women Pilots, Inc. Recently Betty earned her Airframe and Powerplant license, which allows her to be an aviation mechanic. Currently, she is studying for her Inspection Authorization certificate so that she can determine whether an aircraft is in a condition for safe operation. Her advice for women leaders and pilots? “Never stop learning!”

We are so thankful to Betty for her leadership and outstanding participation in The Colorado River Overflight Project, Betty! Want to learn more about the project? Check out the Interactive Flight Map and more HERE.