Captain Carrie Muehlbauer

Captain Carrie Muehlbauer retired from American Airlines (AA) in May, 2023. She was flying the B-787 when she left, and also holds type ratings on the B-707, B-720, B-757, B-767, B-777 and the AB-320 family. Her 34 years at American included nearly 20 years in the pilot hiring and recruitment arena - which was a true passion. Carrie taught Diversity and Inclusion courses for three years at AA to over 15,000 pilots. This journey changed the trajectory of the climate and culture in a very positive way. She is credited with writing the curriculum for the third chapter of the instruction.

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Along with her recruitment/hiring duties at AA, Carrie was, and still is, an advocate and mentor to hundreds of pilots who perhaps struggle to find someone to take them under their wing. She understands the under represented, supporting those who cannot find someone like themselves. She worked tirelessly under American’s Human Resource umbrella, with the Employee resource groups, representing Women in non-traditional jobs.

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Her arms stretch wide, mentoring pilots in the National Gay Pilots Association, the Women in Aviation International organization, and the Women Military Aviators Association. She also devotes countless hours to editing essays for scholarship applications, as well as grading and scoring.

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Carrie was proud to serve in the United States Air Force (1980-1988) at the commencement of legislation in 1976, allowing women to join the pilot corp. She flew the T-37, T-38, and the KC-135. Her flying took her all over the world, staging from Okinawa, Japan, and California. She held many leadership roles and also worked in advocacy. Growing up in Colorado Springs instilled a love for the outdoors—she enjoys skiing, skating, hiking, cycling, camping, kayaking, paddleboarding, surfing, and rowing. She is currently rowing for an international women’s club in Minneapolis, her current home, and also coaches two college teams in the Fall.

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A graduate of Colorado State University with a degree in Journalism and Political Science-she still enjoys writing and has been published in several Journals. She played soccer all four years at the university, Air Force teams, and semi-pro teams before the Women’s pro leagues were established. Mountains are her serene place and, in her retirement, you are likely to catch her on a peak or slope or camping in her Sprinter Van!