Retired U.S. Air Force Reserve Command Lt. Col. Olga Custodio broke multiple racial and gender barriers during her 24 years of service. Custodio was not only the first Latina to graduate from the Air Force’s undergraduate pilot training, but also the first to be inducted into the San Antonio Aviation and Aerospace Hall of Fame.
Custodio continued to defy long-standing biases during her military career; she was the first female T-38 undergraduate pilot training flight instructor at Laughlin Air Force Base and also the first female T-38 pilot instructor training flight instructor at Randolph Air Force Base. Both military bases are in Texas.
After finishing her Air Force service, Custodio spent 20 years as a pilot for American Airlines. A graduate of the University of Puerto Rico, she also earned an Air Transport Pilot Certificate (with several ratings).
Custodio is currently an active member of the Women Military Aviators Association, Women in Aviation International, the Allied Pilots Association, and the Order of Daedalians (a fraternal and professional order of American military pilots).
