Two Lee County women made aviation history

Lee County natives Beverly Bass and Diane Powell had flown as student pilots out of Page Field. Bass went on to become the first woman captain for American Airlines, and in 1984 she piloted American's inaugural flight into Southwest Florida Regional Airport. Powell is a First Officer, flying for Northwest Airlines.

On August 19, 1987, Lee County aviation enthusiasts got a treat when the supersonic jet, the Air France Concorde, landed in Fort Myers. A tour put together by AAA Travel Agents included a trip to London on the Concorde.

Two of the travelers, Wayne and Mavis Miller of Fort Myers, were excited about the trip. Their bulkhead seats, they were told, had previously been occupied by Prince Philip and Queen Elizabeth of England.

According to the Millers, the plane had an instrument panel on the passengers' side of the bulkhead that permitted passengers to chart their way through the Mach stages so they could follow the route until the plane broke the sound barrier.

The pilot of the Concorde informed his passengers that when he took off he would circle the airport at low altitude so everyone could get a good look at the plane. In the last 60 minutes of the flight, passengers were invited in small groups to come to the cockpit to ask questions and enjoy a pilot's view of the landscape.

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