Press Releases
Accomplished, Retired United Airlines Pilot Phyllis Cleveland Will Speak at Forest Hill in Pacific Grove
Phyllis Cleveland
Presentation will Recount 9/11 From the Cockpit of the 747 She Was Piloting During the Attack
Forest Hill is hosting a monthly speaker series and has invited accomplished and retired pilot Phyllis Cleveland to speak on Wednesday, June 26 at 3:30pm. Cleveland began flying in 1969. During her presentation she will share stories of her lifelong experience in the aviation industry, including piloting a flight from Japan to the U.S. during the 9/11 attack.
Cleveland began working for United Airlines (UAL) in 1989 and retired in 2007. While at United Airlines she was on the Accident/Incident Team; was the Boeing 747 Tech and Safety Representative; the Pacific Regional Safety Rep; the Maintenance Safety Coordinator; on the UAL Flight Operations Quality Assurance team; and part of a 12 man Ad Hoc Flight Operations Team that reported directly to the Vice President of UAL Operations.
Cleveland was in the air flying from Japan to the U.S. during the 9/11 attack on the U.S. Other major events during her years at UAL include flying U.S. troops during Desert Shield and Desert Storm, Boeing 747 Tech Advisor on the TWA 800 (747 New York) accident, and part of a five person team that performed aircraft maintenance facility inspections in Korea and China for a planned outsourced off shore maintenance contract. She was honored in 2003 with the D.B. Robinson Air Safety Award for lifetime achievement as an aviation safety advocate. To date she is the first and only women to receive this award.
Before Cleveland's airline career she was an Aviation Safety Inspector for the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) - one of the first women hired by the agency in 1983. For fourteen years prior to the FAA she was a Flight Instructor and Chief Pilot for a FAA/Veterans Administration/California State approved Flight School and Air Taxi operator. She also taught advanced college aeronautics courses, was a corporate pilot, AIRCO (air reconnaissance) pilot for the State of California (CalFire), and flew Traffic Watch in Stockton, CA.
WHO: Forest Hill
WHAT: Monthly Speaker Series:Retired United Airlines Pilot Phyllis Cleveland Presents 9/11 from the cockpit
WHERE: Forest Hill Fireside Lounge, 551 Gibson Ave, Pacific Grove
WHEN: Wednesday, June 26 at 3:30pm
COST: FREE
RSVP: Space is limited. Call 657-5200 to RSVP or for more information.
About Forest Hill
Forest Hill opened in 1955 as the first full-service retirement community on the Monterey Peninsula, and has a long history of offering unparalleled care and a range of modern living options, from independent living in modern apartments and cottages, to an Assisted Living Center, and a Medicare-certified skilled nursing facility featuring private suites. Residents discover the freedom of maintenance-free living at Forest Hill, with many choices in housing, services, dining, and amenities. Forest Hill is accredited by the Continuing Care Accreditation Commission, widely recognized as the gold standard of quality. Forest Hill’s Health Center has earned Medicare's highest rating of five stars. For more information about Forest Hill, visit www.foresthillretirement.org.