Devaughn Blake, adult student, Dowling College; Anthony Crisco, Westhampton Beach UFSD; Taylor Montanaro, Westhampton Beach UFSD; Retired Captain Bonnie Tiburzi Caputo; Jessica Fried, Patchogue-Medford UFSD; Nicholas DiMatteo, adult student, Suffolk County Community College; and Nick Ciuffo, West Islip UFSD pose by the ESBOCES Suffolk Aviation Academy Wall of Fame that boasts the pictures of students who graduated from ESBOCES and secured a position in the aviation field.
Eastern Suffolk BOCES Suffolk Aviation Academy students were honored to have Retired Captain Bonnie Tiburzi Caputo, first female flight engineer, visit them and share her story and path to becoming a pilot.She told the ESBOCES students, “You have a great opportunity here at ESBOCES to get your academics in the classroom and tarmac time at the airport right next door. You get experience and you can build up your flight hours.” She added, “All the training you receive will help you respond to situations, emergency or otherwise, that arise.”She flew as a senior captain in a Boeing 757 and Boeing 767 aircraft; was the first woman to be hired by a major airline, and the first woman in the world to earn a Flight Engineer’s rating on a turbo jet engine. Her American Airlines uniform is on display at the Smithsonian Museum Hall of Air Transportation.
Retired Captain Bonnie Caputo speaks to the students at the Suffolk Aviation Academy.
Retired Captain Bonnie is seen as a pioneer for women in the aviation field. She was not encouraged to become a pilot but through ambition, hard work, and perseverance she attained her dream and a job with American Airlines.
