Patricia Malone was born July 4th, 1924 in Cambridge, Massachusetts. She graduated from North Quincy HS in 1942 and received her initial aviation training through Navy and Air Force programs. Her aviation career spanned more than 50 years and has affected thousands of pilots, aviation professionals, military personnel and civilians. Her contributions to charting standards are the corner stone of today’s aeronautical charts. 

In 1942 she was hired as a Radio Engineering Aide for Signal Corps Laboratory, Fort Monmouth, NJ. Then in 1944 with the US Navy Waves (Women Accepted for Volunteer Emergency Service). She was the Link Instrument Procedures Instructor and trained advanced carrier based squadron pilots.  In 1946 she was honorably discharged from the USN and then employed as Link Trainer Instructor by the USAF in Eatown, NJ. In 1951 she became the Line Trainer Instructor for Trans World Airlines, American Airlines, and Eastern Airlines training pilots instrument flight procedures, radio navigation reviews and academic instruction in Federal regulations and Air Traffic Control procedures. In 1960 she moved to Northeast Airlines to operate their Curtis Wright Dehmel Instrument Procedures Trainer. In 1972 she became the Operations Specification Instructor for Delta Air Lines-Pilot Ground Training Department. Her responsibilities included instrument flight reviews, instrument approach charts, Federal Air Regulations, and Air Traffic Control procedures for all Delta Pilots. She taught the initial transition, up-grade, and requalification training. She also provided instruction to all Delta Flight Control Dispatchers. At the request of the FAA, she gave many seminars to personnel on these subjects. In 1984 she was assigned to the Delta Flight Operations, Regulatory Compliance and Incident Management. Her duties included work in the areas of Air Carrier Operations Specifications, as well as Flight Safety issues, Human Factors, Crew Resource Management and incident management. She represented Delta on many Air Transport Association committees, serving as Chairman of several of them.

Patricia Malone retired from Delta in 1994 after serving 30 years as Manager of Certificate Action. She went on to serve as a consultant for the Jeppesen Company and Jet Blue in accident investigations as an expert on Approach Charts. She conducted academic reviews on charts and procedures to several private flight operations departments such as Coca Cola, Mead Aviation and ConAgra Corporation.

The distinctive honors Patricia Malone received during her career were honorary member Air Line Pilots Association Council 44-Atlanta and Council 9-Boston. She was awarded the “Leather Helmet” Flying Award for contributions to flight safety by the Master Executive Council of Delta Air Line Pilots Association; she was the first woman and non-pilot to receive this award. She is an Honorary member of the Delta Golden Wings (retired pilots), Certificate of Commendation, approved by FAA Administrator David Hinson. After her retirement she served as the President of the Delta Pioneers. And, she was inducted into the Women in Aviation International, Pioneer Hall of Fame this year.

A resident of GA since 1972 she has served a wide variety of community volunteer programs to include: National President American Business Women’s Assoc., Executive Board YMCA of North GA, Board of Directors Goodwill Industries of North GA, National President Delta Pioneers Inc., and Chair of the Delta Pioneers Advisory Board.