Air Race Chics 2011

Mayte Greco

Mayte’s fascination with airplanes began when her parents would take her as a young girl to the airport to watch the planes take off and land.
On her 16^th birthday Mayte skipped school, got her Driver’s License and drove to the airport to take her first flying lesson!
Coming from a traditional Cuban Family, flying for girls was not allowed! Many obstacles had to be overcome, but Mayte never doubted she would spend much of her life in the air.
Flying at any chance she got, Mayte balanced a full time college schedule and raised an ever-growing family of five 5 children.
Mayte’s flight career started with dropping skydivers, flying sightseeing tours and air ambulance operations. She also flew for various Lear Jet charter operators which led to an airline pilot position with a small air carrier.
Eventually Mayte started her own air charter business flying cargo and passengers to the Bahamas.
Mayte is an accomplished professional Pilot but her greatest personal reward in flight resulted from her many hours as a volunteer pilot and activist.
In addition to flying children as part of the “Challenge Air for Kids,” and “Angel Flight,” Mayte is one of the founding members and one of the few women pilots of the “Brother’s to the Rescue” search and rescue organization.
The Brother’s to the Rescue group searched along the Florida coasts for Cuban survivors fleeing Communism via rafts. This organization of a few is credited for saving thousands of lives; making them the most successful volunteer search and rescue organization in history.
Presently Mayte spends much of her free time flying her Cessna 340 and sharing her passion for flight with her family, friends and anyone interested in learning to fly.
She is an active member of the Aircraft Owners and Pilot’s Association (AOPA), the Ninety-Nines International Women Pilot’s Organization and Women in Aviation International (WAI).
Mayte has been featured in a traveling exhibit of the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum and in a book by Carolyn Russo, Women in Aviation.
She has also been honored for her achievements in flight by various foundations and featured in various books as well as shows aired on both the the Biography and Discovery Channels.
Mayte has over 7500 hours of flying time, is qualified as an Airline Transport Pilot, Lear Jet Type Rated and maintains Instrument and Commercial Privileges in Multi Engine, Single Engine Land and Sea aircraft.
This will be her first time competing in the Air Race Classic.