“We all find a calling in life to have our voice heard through words or through music or showing it through art. But for one little girl, the calling she had was the skies.” – "I Want to be a Pilot When I Grow Up!" - The Captain Judy Rice Story
When Rice was a young girl, she saw a hot air balloon overhead and dreamed of flying. Because “girls don’t fly,” she became a teacher and taught for 18 years. At age 40, inspired by her son, Ben, she not only pursued her dream, she flew around the world and set a world speed record from Greenland to Iceland.
Rice got involved in aviation with everything she had. A former president of the National Coalition for Aviation and Space Education (NCASE), she left her teaching position to focus on developing aviation and aerospace courses and curriculums for the National 4-H Aerospace Curriculum Project. She was recognized with awards such as the Experimental Aircraft Association's Outstanding Ground Volunteer Award and the Minnesota Governor's Award for Excellence in Aerospace Education. She also owned her own airplane, “Chuck,” a bright red 1971 Grumman AA-1A.
She established the non-profit organization Think Global Flight (TGF). TGF’s advisory council consisted of 11 industry leaders from across the globe, including NASA astronaut Buzz Aldrin, who accompanied her in 2015 for the global flight in a Cessna Citation Mustang CE-510. During this mission, Rice and her team engaged more than 20,000 students in 25 countries.
A teacher at heart, Rice spent the last six years of her aviation career as the private pilot ground school instructor at Epic Flight Academy in New Smyrna Beach, Florida.
After a stroke in 2023, Rice retired from Epic.
Diagnosed with cancer in 2024, she was not finished with her work inspiring others. She wrote her memoir, "Around the World with Captain Judy Rice: A Pilot’s Memoir."
Through her book and videos, Capt. Judy Rice, who died July 19, 2024, remains an inspiration to others.
Her obituary, when it is complete, will be posted here: Obituary | Judith Ann Rice | Haigh - Black Funeral Home & Cremation Services.
