Trivia

She was the first female Federal Aviation Administration inspector and the first female National Transportation Safety Board air-safety investigator.

She was the youngest member of the "Mercury 13," a group of women who were privately trained for NASA's astronaut program and who went through the same rigorous testing as the Mercury 7, NASA's all-male team of original astronauts.

On July 20, 2021, at age 82, Wally became not only the oldest woman to fly into space, but also the only member of the original Mercury 13 women's astronaut training program to do so, when she flew aboard the Blue Origin's New Shepard spacecraft.

A member of the Mercury 13, the original women's astronaut training program established by NASA and supported by President John F. Kennedy, her chance to become one of our first astronauts was ended by President Lyndon Johnson, who was sworn in as the 36th president of the United States after President Kennedy's assassination. President Johnson did not approve of women becoming astronauts and disbanded the Mercury 13 training program due to lack of funding.

In 1964 she became the youngest woman in the history of Stephens College to receive the Alumna Achievement Award, honored in recognition for her work in aviation.

Graduated from Stephens College in Columbia, Missouri with an Associate of Arts degree.

In 1965 she was selected as one of the Outstanding Young Women in America, "in recognition of her outstanding ability, accomplishments and service to her community, country and profession".

In the Fall of 1961 she accepted a job as a certified flight instructor, charter, and chief pilot with an aviation company in Hawthorne, California.

The Flight of Wally Funk is a 2001 album by Australian rock band Spiderbait. It peaked at number 34 on the ARIA charts.

In 2022 she was awarded the R.A."Bob" Hoover trophy by the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association, for exhibiting "the airmanship, leadership, mentorship, and passion for aviation" that Hoover exemplified, as well as for having a "distinguished career as a pilot and aviation advocate while also serving as a source of inspiration and encouragement for current and prospective aviators.".

A member of the "Flying Susies" she was rated first in her class of 24 fliers and received her pilot's license.

Had over 18,600 flight hours.

Earned her Airline Transport Rating in 1968, the 58th woman in the U.S. to do so. She applied to three commercial airlines but, like other qualified female pilots, was turned away because of her sex.

In 2022 the Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum awarded its Michael Collins Trophy to Funk for Lifetime Achievement.

In 2012 she filmed her life story for the Traveling Space Museum.

In 2024 she was inducted into the Lone Star Flight Museum Hall of Fame.

Completed a Bachelor of Science degree in Secondary Education at Oklahoma State University.

Wally Funk is the title of the 11th track on Pleasure Seekers, the 2022 album by The Electric Swing Circus.

Is listed in "Who's Who in Aviation".

For 60 years she was been a member of the Ninety-Nines group. The international organization includes licensed female pilots from 44 countries.

At 20 years old she became a professional aviator. Her first job was at Fort Sill, Oklahoma, as a civilian flight instructor of non-commissioned and commissioned officers of the United States Army. She was the first female flight instructor at a US military base.

In July 2020 she published a memoir, Higher Faster Longer – My Life in Aviation and My Quest for Space Flight with author Loretta Hall.

Participated in many air races. She placed eighth in the Powder Puff Derby's 25th Annual Race, sixth in the Pacific Air Race, and eighth in the Palms to Pines Air Race. On August 16, 1975, she placed second in the Palms to Pines All Women Air Race from Santa Monica, California, to Independence, Oregon. On October 4, 1975, flying her red and white Citabria, Funk won the Pacific Air Race from San Diego, California, to Santa Rosa, California, against 80 participating competitors.