Cheryl Stearns, second from left, receives the NAA's Distinguished Stateswoman of Aviation Award [Courtesy: National Aeronautic Association]
Key Takeaways:
Cheryl Stearns began skydiving at 17, quickly developing a lifelong passion after her first freefall, which she funded through various airport jobs.
She achieved an extraordinary competitive career, earning two world championships, 33 national championships, 30 world records, and becoming the first woman in the U.S. Army's Golden Knights, alongside a lengthy career as an airline pilot.
Recently honored with the Distinguished Stateswoman of Aviation Award, Stearns continues to actively mentor cadets, perform demonstration jumps, and pursue both flying and skydiving, accumulating over 22,000 jumps and 26,000 flying hours.
For skydiving ace Cheryl Stearns, jumping out of an airplane began as a dream when she was eight, growing up in Scottsdale, Arizona. In the dream, she was stepping out of a window and feeling the sensation of falling—or was she?
“The dream felt so real, but I wondered if falling really felt the same way,” she said recently, more than 22,000 jumps later.
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Jonathan Welsh is Lead Editor of Aviation Consumer and a private pilot who worked as a reporter, editor and columnist with the Wall Street Journal for 21 years, mostly covering the auto industry. His passion for aviation began in childhood with balsa-wood gliders his aunt would buy for him at the corner store. Follow Jonathan on Twitter @JonathanWelsh4
