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Wally Funk. By NASA/Joel Kowsky.

Top 10 Fascinating Facts about Wally Funk

You’ve probably heard of Wally Funk, the oldest person to set foot in space. Mary Wallace Funk (born February 1, 1939) is an American aviator, commercial astronaut, and Goodwill Ambassador.Wally Funk was a member of the Mercury 13, a group of skilled female pilots who were barred from participating in NASA’s first space missions. Funk will be fulfilling a lifelong dream today by joining the Blue Origin flight crew.

At the age of 82, Funk, whose full name is Mary Wallace Funk, was invited to join the crew of the New Shepard’s first manned space flight. According to CNBC, Blue Origin, the company founded in 2000 by Jeff Bezos, the world’s richest man, and Amazon’s CEO, has been testing flights of its New Shepard rocket for years. The space flight took place on Tuesday, July 20, 2021. More of her fascinating facts are discussed in this article.

1. Wally Funk has never married and claims to be married to airplanes.’

Picture Courtesy of Tech. Sgt. Ben Bloker

Funk once stated that she has never married and is “married to airplanes.” She stated in the interview that she had no resentment about being barred from spaceflight.

When Eileen Collins became the first female astronaut in 1995, Funk was on the launch pad cheering, “Go Eileen. “Go for us all.”

“I’m not a bra burner, and I’m not a politician,” Funk told  the media “I noticed there was an old-boys network, but my philosophy has always been to move on and get over it.”

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2. She is the World’s oldest person to land in space

By Maksym Kozlenko.

While Funk’s mission to become one of the first female astronauts in space was thwarted, her flight made history. When the New Shepard reaches an altitude of 100 kilometers, it is the first of its kind. According to CNBC, Richard Branson’s Virgin Galactic has crossed the 80-kilometer mark but has yet to cross the 100-kilometer mark.

According to Blue Origin’s press release, Funk was the oldest person in space. She was joined in space by the 18-year-old Oliver Daemon.

On July 20, Jeff Bezos, Mark Bezos, and Wally Funk boarded the first human flight. Oliver Daemen, at 18 years old, and Wally Funk, at 82 years old, is the youngest and oldest astronauts to have traveled to space.

3. Wally Funk’s Flight to Space Was Called ‘Poetic Justice

Funk was one of the Mercury 13, a group of 13 women. The Mercury 13 were skilled pilots who trained to be a part of NASA’s spaceflight program before women were allowed to participate. According to Space.com, the women were named after Mercury 7, a group of seven male astronauts chosen by NASA for the Mercury program.

“Wally Funk has never given up on her dream of spaceflight,” said Margaret Weitekamp, curator of the Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum’s space history department. “Including her on this flight is a nice bit of poetic justice.”

Weitekamp also published a book on Mercury 13. In 1959, the Mercury 7 was chosen.

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4. In the 1950s and 1960s, Wally Funk achieved a number of firsts for women in flight

Funk told The Guardian in 2002 that she learned to fly at the age of 16 after developing an early interest in flight.

Amelia Earheart was her childhood hero, she told the publication. When she began flying at the age of 16, she knew it would be a lifelong passion.

“I knew then that I wanted to fly for the rest of my life.”

When she applied to become a commercial pilot at TWA and Continental, she was turned down because “they didn’t have a lady’s bathroom at the training facility,” she told The Guardian.

5. Congratulated Her on the Fulfillment of Her Lifelong Dream

Picture By NASA.

Sue Nelson, a science journalist who traveled with Funk, told Space.com that she called to congratulate her on her flight.

“She is extremely driven and competitive, which is typical of an early astronaut, test pilot type — she fits the mold of those early astronauts.”

In an interview with Space.com, Nelson recalled the conversation when she called to congratulate her friend. On the phone, Funk echoed a sentiment from the first female astronaut’s launch.

“‘I’ve waited a lifetime, honey,” Nelson told Space.com. “And then she said, ‘I’m going up for all of us.”

6. Funk was an outdoorswoman accomplished lady

Funk was a skilled outdoorswoman who enjoyed riding her bike or horse, skiing, hunting, and fishing. She became an expert markswoman at the age of 14, earning the Distinguished Rifleman’s Award. The National Rifle Association forwarded her incredible shooting results to President Dwight Eisenhower, who responded in writing. At the same time, she represented the southwestern United States as the Top Female Skier in Slalom and Downhill races in US competition.

7. She has earned a lot of aviation certificates

Wally went on to earn a Bachelor of Science in Secondary Education from Oklahoma State University. 

 Funk earned numerous aviation certificates and ratings while at OSU, including her Commercial, Single-engine Land, Multi-engine Land, Single-engine Sea, Instrument, Flight Instructor, and all Ground Instructor ratings.

Funk was elected as an officer of the “Flying Aggies” and participated in International Collegiate Air Meets for them. She won the “Outstanding Female Pilot” award, the “Flying Aggie Top Pilot” award, and the “Alfred Alder Memorial Trophy” two years in a row.

8. Funk was the first female flight instructor at a US military base

Funk became a professional aviator at the age of 20. Her first job was as a Civilian Flight Instructor for noncommissioned and commissioned officers of the United States Army at Fort Sill, Oklahoma.

Wally was the first female flight instructor at a military base in the United States. She accepted a position as a Certified Flight Instructor, Charter, and Chief Pilot with an aviation company in Hawthorne, California, in the fall of 1961.

Funk received her Airline Transport Rating in 1968, making her the 58th woman in the United States to do so. She applied to three commercial airlines but was turned down because of her gender, as were other qualified female pilots.

9. She was the first woman to complete the FAA’s General Aviation Operations Inspector Academy course

Funk received the Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA) flight inspector rating in 1971. becoming the first woman to complete the FAA’s General Aviation Operations Inspector Academy course, which includes Pilot Certification and Flight Testing procedures, as well as handling accidents and violations.

She was the first woman to work as a field examiner for the FAA for four years. She was the first woman in the United States to be promoted to the FAA SWAP (Systems Worthiness Analysis Program) as a specialist in 1973.

Wally re-entered the FAA Academy in late November 1973 to take courses in the air taxi, charter, and aviation rental businesses.

10. Funk was appointed as FAA Safety Counselor

Picture Courtesy of Sgt Jack Pritchard RAF

 Wally retired as an Air Safety Investigator after 11 years of service in 1985 and was later appointed as an FAA Safety Counselor and went on to become a well-known pilot trainer and aviation safety speaker.

She was the keynote speaker for the United States at the World Aviation Education and Safety Congress in 1986.

Funk was named Chief Pilot at Emery Aviation College in Greeley, Colorado, in 1987, where she oversaw the entire flight program for 100 students ranging from Private to Multi-engine Flight Instructor and Helicopter ratings.

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