About Nancy Aldrich

Nancy was born in a middle class home in Houston, Texas in 1939, the third of three children, and was raised. Her older sister, Barbara, became an attorney, while her older brother, Bob, became a circus performer and a musician. Bob frequently says, "Barbee got all the brains, I got all the talent, and Nancy got all the luck!" Though Nancy doesn't believe in luck; she believes in hard work, determination, the support of good friends and family, the belief in one's self, and has a strong Christian faith.

She was married at age 17, and that marriage produced her two children, Dawn and Chris. She is the grandmother of two wonderful young men, Gavin and Robert. She was divorced at 31, and remarried at age 39. That marriage lasted only 2 years. Since then she has been single.

After her retirement, Nancy began to travel for pleasure instead of work. One of the great things about an airline career is that it lets you go to places to decide if you ever want to go back. There are several places to which she enjoys returning. She has made several trips to Europe, and two to Asia, and one to Africa. Shortly after retirement, she took one of her grandsons on a photographic safari to Kenya and Tanzania.

Her first post-retirement trip to Asia took her to Nepal and India. She was a speaker at the World Aviation Education and Safety Conference in Kathmandu, Nepal, in Fall 2000. Then she toured China with the Aviator's VIP Tour in 2004.

After the tragic events of 9/11, the aviation community was in shock. In Spring 2002, a young woman pilot, Molly Peebles, had a grand idea to bring the aviation community together to help heal, and to commemorate 9/11. For this event, called "The Flight Across America," each state chose a general aviation airplane and pilot to carry their flag to New York to be presented to the city. Nancy joined her friend Donna Miller, a furloughed American Airlines pilot to carry the Colorado flag in Nancy's Cessna 182.

Along the way, the group stopped in Shanksville, Pennsylvania to honor those who died on Flight 93. Nancy and Donna laid a wreath, donated by Council 33, the Denver Chapter of the Airline Pilot's Association, at the Memorial site. The group then went to the Pentagon, where they laid another wreath to honor those who perished there.

In 2003 on the 100th anniversary of Wilbur and Orville's historic flight, Donna and Nancy participated in "50 Flags to Kitty Hawk," carrying the Colorado flag to Kitty Hawk, North Carolina.

After living in Colorado for 30 years, Nancy has sold her "Captain's home" and returned to her roots. She now lives in the small town of Leakey, Texas, in the beautiful Hill Country (yes, there are beautiful parts of Texas!). Still active in general aviation, Nancy is currently the chairman of the San Antonio Chapter of the 99s, and loves participating in that organization, supporting and encouraging other women pilots.

As a member of the 99s, she attended Space Camp in Huntsville, Alabama and enjoyed pretending to be an astronaut. She highly recommends Space Camp for adults as well as for kids. It was a very exciting and educational experience. Nancy is also active in her church and community as a member of the Friends of the Library, Chairman of the Real County Republican Party, and a member of Toastmasters and the National Association of Parliamentarians.

Contact Nancy Aldrich at P.O. Box 1015, Leaky, Texas 78873 or Nancy@CaptainGramma.com.

<< Back to Captain Gramma