On the wall of her study, there is a show-stopping photograph of Pat Denkler from that time in her career when she became the first woman to land a jet on the aircraft carrier. In 1981, she flew a TA-4J aboard the USS Lexington. In the photograph, her expression is confident and accomplished; this was one of those extraordinarily moments where her great courage and beauty intertwined on exactly the same pivot. The following year, she became the first woman to land a fleet combat aircraft, the A6E Intruder on a carrier.

“I had several Navy pilot friends stationed in John McCain’s squadron in Jacksonville and I frequently attended squadron functions.” At one of those events, Commander McCain encouraged her to apply to the Navy Flight Program which had started accepting women in 1973. “He even let me sit in an A-7 where he started the Auxiliary Power Unit so that I could see all of the ‘gee-whiz’ instrumentation!”

For a woman who has traveled the globe, set records, and has so many fearless achievements to her credit, it’s the little things that are near to her heart. With a gentle touch, Pat gets up in the morning and cuts fresh flowers for every room in the house. Then she works at her desk until about noon when she ventures out into the bigger world. “Home is real important to me. As are my books, I love my books! Some of my lifetime favorites are The Little Prince, Gift From the Sea, The Fountainhead, and For Those I Loved. I also journal, and have since I was eight; I only write with real pencils.” She laughs as she confides, “I found one I like and bought a hundred like it. I use them to make all my own greeting cards,” she says with obvious enjoyment.

Photography by John Wollwerth