Today is a historic date for women pilots. It was back in 1991, when the U.S. Senate overturned the Pentagon’s ban on combat missions for female aviators. In the spirit of that decision, dozens of women pilots took to the skies recently in a race that’s part adventure, part flight school. APR listeners the competition last month. Now, here’s the behind-the-scenes story
Katrina McLeod flies by the name "Kitty." She’s a military pilot in the U.S. Coast Guard. But she didn’t start her aviation journey in the usual way.
“Most people in the military in general have kind of gotten into that very early in life,” she recalled. “I'm one of those that joined at 30 very late in life.”
Before that, she worked with a very different kind of wings.
"I worked as a farm supervisor,” McLeod recalled. “I got a truck and drove around from farm to farm in my region. Auditing feed logs and waste of chickens and egg counts...”
But it was the crop dusters flying overhead that pulled her eyes to the sky. It took five years to save for flight school. Then she went all in: rescue missions, chasing smugglers, and now—racing.
“I started looking into it and was like, I have to do this and it's right at our back door. So just something crazy flying across the country and a much smaller plane than what I'm used to flying in. It’s an immense learning experience,” she said.
Katrina found a partner in U.S. Navy pilot Giovanni Gonzalez. Then came the harder part: finding a plane.
“We actually had a couple planes lined up over the last couple months and that's been our biggest hurdle. Some of the women in this race own their own planes,” McLeod recalled.
They finally locked in on a blue and white Cessna 172. With just weeks to go, they dove into getting planning the route and getting to know their plane. A few days later, Katrina was in the cockpit of the plane that would take her across the country.
“There's always next year I'm going to do it next year or the year after that or I'm going to be less busy next time and eventually they never do it. And so we just decided to make it happen, make it work,” said Katrina.
Race day. Katrina and Giovanni wear matching baseball jerseys with their nicknames “Kitty” and “Wilba” and race number, 28, on the back. Dozens of planes were lined up on the runway, ready to go. Then…
“We are delayed indefinitely due to weather,” said a race official.
Storms rolled in and clouds dropped low. The race was grounded and then rerouted.
“We are canceling Starkville,” the official continued. “We would like you to go on your timeline at your discretion to Harrison. You will be off the clock.”
The new starting line? Harrison, Arkansas. Katrina consults with Giovanni about their new plan.
“I think the key is just getting out of here tonight because it's just going to get worse the more we stay. Yeah. You good with that? Yeah, let's do it,” said Katrina.
They climbed into their plane. Two Girls One Plane spelled out on the wings. And took off into the sky. Over the next few days, they faced delays, mechanical issues, and the challenges of mountain air—but they kept flying, powered by determination and a good soundtrack, including the fitting anthem, Trailblazer.
“ We had a great time and it was so fun. And then as we're approaching Spokane, we're like, this can't be it. We just want to keep going,” McLeod said.
Two Girls, OnePlane didn’t place, but they won the award for flying a flawless race—no penalties. More than any trophy, Katrina and Giovanni found joy flying together. They’re already dreaming of taking to the skies again for the race’s 50th anniversary in 2027.
