WAI Names Three Trailblazers to Pioneer Hall

Women in Aviation International has selected three women for its 2027 Pioneer Hall of Fame class, to be honored in Savannah, Georgia.

Updated on Nov. 3, 2026 in Awards

Three pioneering women, including the first modern-era combat-qualified female Naval aviator, were named to the 2027 Women in Aviation International Pioneer Hall of Fame. AI Illustration. Upload story photo >

Women in Aviation International selected Lt. Kara Spears Hultgreen, Dorothy S. Cochrane, and Cmdr. Susan L. Kilrain, U.S. Navy (ret.), as 2027 WAI Pioneer Hall of Fame inductees. The three will be recognized February 26, 2027, at the 38th Annual WAI Conference in Savannah, Georgia.

Why it matters

The honors recognize women whose careers opened aviation and spaceflight roles to women, from combat naval aviation to museum curatorship and the Space Shuttle program. The induction adds to a Hall of Fame established in 1992 that now counts more than 130 inductees.

The three 2027 inductees bring the Hall of Fame to more than 130 honorees since its 1992 founding. Kilrain logged nearly 472 hours in space across two Space Shuttle Columbia missions, STS-83 and STS-94.

The players

Women in Aviation International

Women in Aviation International is a professional organization that promotes women's participation across aviation careers and runs an annual conference and a Pioneer Hall of Fame.

Kara Spears Hultgreen

Kara Spears Hultgreen was a U.S. Navy aviator who became the first modern-era combat-qualified female Naval aviator before her death in 1994.

Dorothy S. Cochrane

Dorothy S. Cochrane is a longtime curator at the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum who helped open its collections and exhibits to women's aviation history.

Susan L. Kilrain

Susan L. Kilrain is a retired U.S. Navy commander and one of only three women to pilot the Space Shuttle, flying two missions aboard Columbia.

The details

Hultgreen was the first modern-era combat-qualified female Naval aviator, qualifying on the F-14 Tomcat aboard the USS Constellation in 1994 before dying in an F-14 accident that October. Cochrane joined the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum in 1977, established its "We All Fly" gallery in 2022, and retired in 2025 after nearly 50 years there.

October 25, 1994: Hultgreen dies in an F-14 accident.
1992: The WAI Pioneer Hall of Fame is established.
February 26, 2027: Inductees are recognized at the 38th Annual WAI Conference in Savannah, Georgia.

Culture Shift

The 2027 class continues the Pioneer Hall of Fame's pattern, established in 1992, of recognizing women across military, museum, and spaceflight aviation. Its more than 130 prior inductees have built a documented record of women's contributions to the field over three decades.

Aviation students and professionals considering careers in the field can look to these three women as documented examples of women in combat, museum, and spaceflight roles. Attendees of the Savannah conference will have the opportunity to see the honorees recognized in person.

The takeaway

The 2027 class shows that women's roles in aviation span combat aircraft, museum curation, and spaceflight. Readers interested in the field can follow the Pioneer Hall of Fame and the WAI conference for future recognition.

What happens next

The three inductees will be formally recognized on February 26, 2027, at the 38th Annual Women in Aviation International Conference in Savannah, Georgia.