I’m Sonia Abellán Montes, an Iberia pilot. One of the latest A320neo’s to join our fleet bears the name of María Bernaldo de Quirós, a key figure in the history of Spanish aviation and an inspiration to all us women pilots. María was the first Spanish woman to earn a pilot’s license, shattering all the social convention of the time and blazing a trail for the many woman who would subsequently decide to follow in her footsteps.
It was the roaring 1920s --aviation fever was raging and pilots were the new heroes, thanks to the exploits of foreigners like Charles Lindbergh and Amelia Earhart, and the Spanish aviators of the Plus Ultra expedition across the South Atlantic, or the Elcano Squadron. María was a brilliant and elegant woman, courageous and a trail blazer. She set out to prove that “women are good for more than embroidering”, and that she could realise her dream, “to fly with my own wings and not somebody else’s”.
In 1928, at the age of 30, she obtained her pilot’s license, the first to be issued to a female in Spain. This made her an instant sensation who was feted everywhere and whose picture appeared on the covers of automotive and society magazines like Estampa. Dubbed “Miss Golondrina” [“swallow”] by the aero clubs, she started showing off here flying skills in daring aerobatic displays all over the country. Meanwhile, in only two years she took more than 200 people on their first flights.
But it wasn’t all a bed of roses for a woman so far ahead of her time. Because of prevailing social mores, most men refused to fly with a woman at the controls, and the Royal Aero Club would not admit her as a member, nor would the army grant her “honorary aviator” status. But times have changed, and today men and women have equal opportunities in this profession. We women are still a minority amongst pilots, but our number is growing –a total of 85 women work as pilots at Iberia-. That represents just 6% of total cockpit staff, but it’s above average in world terms.
Nothing could stop Maria from flying ever higher and faster –she even became a flight instructor in Asturias. With the outbreak of the Spanish Civil War in 1936, she decided to retire, but she had already broken the barriers, and shown many of us women that we too could fly with our own wings. Thank you, María! This A320neo that is joining the Iberia fleet will plough the skies bearing your name and showing your legacy to so many women who may wish to follow your steps into the exciting world of aviation. May many more women be encouraged to hear your story!
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