⊹₊⋆Childhood⋆₊⊹
Beverley Bass was born in 1952 in Fort Myers, FL to Bob and Marge Bass. Her mother told her how as a child, she would squeal and reach out to the airplanes passing overhead. As she grew up, she would talk her aunt into driving her to watch through the chain link fence as the planes landed. Her family's involvement in horse training and showing failed to keep her interest; she began asking her father for flying lessons, which he refused.
In 1970, Bass' parents sold their ranch as she was beginning her freshman year at Texas Christian University. The following summer, at 19 years old, Bass signed herself up for flying lessons in her hometown: "After my first lesson, I came home and told my parents that I would fly for the rest of my life."
⊹₊⋆Career⋆₊⊹
After returning to college and enrolling in flight school at Meacham Field in Ft. Worth., Bass obtained all her licenses and ratings, earning her pilot license and securing her first paid job as a pilot at 21 for a local mortician. She transported corpses in a 1953 Model D Bonanza and steadily worked her way up; Bass began to pilot industrial cargo and corporate executives, until 1976, when an opportunity with a commercial passenger airliner opened up and Bass reached for it.
At 24 years old, Bass applied for the position of flight engineer with American Airlines and got the job. She was the third woman hired by American Airlines, and she began to work her way up the ranks, fighting against discrimination, sexism, and doubt as she did so. From flight engineer, she became a first officer, and, in 1986, became the first female captain for American Airlines. The next month, she led the first all-female crew in the history of commercial aviation, on a flight from Washington D.C. to Dallas, Texas.
In 1994, the first Boeing 777–the 'Triple Seven'– were being developed in consultation with eight major airlines. It was and is the largest twinjet on earth, and has the largest-diameter turbofan engines of any aircraft. Bass was the first woman in the world to captain one in an airline operation, and American Airlines chose her to be one of their first Boeing 777 instructors.
⊹₊⋆9/11⋆₊⊹
On September 11, 2001, Bass was flying a Boeing 777 on a flight from Paris to Dallas, when an unexpected message was delivered over the radio: New York's twin towers had been hit by two commercial aircraft. The FAA closed US airspace almost immediately after. Bass came into contact with a Canadian air traffic control tower, which ordered the aircraft to land in Gander, Newfoundland, where it became the 36th of 38 diverted planes. Almost 7,000 diverted passengers spent 5 days in Newfoundland before US airspace was reopened.
Despite the tragedy, Bass was eager to fly again: "I never once thought about not flying again. I was not going to let that event ruin what I have loved so much for my whole life. And it never ever affected me on any of my flights afterward."
⊹₊⋆Come From Away⋆₊⊹
"I had no idea that my life had been put to music"
Come From Away, written by David Hein and Irene Sankoff, premiered in the La Jolla (CA) Playhouse in June of 2015. An award-winning live-theater musical about the Gander diversion of more than 7,000 international travelers on 9/11, the musical broke box office records. In March 2017, Come From Away opened on Broadway. It was also released on Apple TV in 2021 to commemorate 9/11's 20th anniversary. Come From Away has won several awards, including four Oliver Awards and the Tony Award for Best Direction of a Musical on Broadway.
The characters in Come From Away are mostly based on real people interviewed by Hein and Sankoff and Beverley Bass' character, played by Jenn Colella, is a prominent part of the production. A song entitled 'Me and the Sky', performed by Colella, is nearly the same as Bass' words from her interview, and captures her career and passion for aviation in an empowering five-minute solo. Bass and Colella now share a close friendship.
"It is the most emotionally uplifting play you can ever imagine. It's not about the sadness of 9/11. It's about the goodness that came out of it."
⊹₊⋆Impact⋆₊⊹
In 2019, Bass published an autobiography picture book titled Me and the Sky, which she hopes will help spark aviation interest in young people. She is committed to helping young people, girls especially, pursue careers in aviation. Bass believes that there are endless opportunities and new doors are being opened for girls interested in pursuing aviation, and she is committed to helping them live out their dreams.
Her book was added to The Amelia Bloomer Book List in 2020, which is a committee of the Feminist Task Force of the Social Responsibilities Round Table. They compile the annual annotated book list, the Amelia Bloomer List, of well-written and well-illustrated books with significant feminist content.
"It is my greatest hope that the women before today's girls have paved a nice path for future generations of lady aviators."