Yael Rom Yael Rom ( ; 1932 – 2006 ) , born Yael Finkelstein , was one of the first female pilots of the Israeli Air Force and the first trained and certified by the force . She was co - pilot of the lead C - 47 at the parachute drop at the Mitla Pass which launched the 1956 Suez War . Biography . Military career . Although often referred to as the IAF ' s first female pilot , this was not the case . Rom was among the first women trained and certified by the force and the only one to go on to active service . Born in Tel Aviv in 1932 , Rom graduated high school in 1950 and was soon drafted into the Israel Defence Forces Youth Corps . Along with 29 other members of the corps she passed the IAF pilot examinations and along with six other cadets continued on to the basic pilot ' s course , finishing second in her class . Initially trained on the Stearman Kaydet , Rom went on to fly twin - engined aircraft and was certified as a flight instructor . Rom received her wings on December 27 , 1951 , graduating the IAF ' s 5th flying course . She was then transferred back to the Youth Corps to instruct future cadets . For six months she petitioned the IDF to return to the air force , meeting with considerable resistance , before her request was finally granted . In 1953 Rom joined the ranks of the 103rd " Flying Elephants " Squadron , flying the Douglas C - 47 Dakota . After her discharge from the IDF , Rom continued to fly as a reserve pilot . She was called up in October 1956 to participate in " Operation Machbesh " ( Press ) , the Israeli parachute drop that launched the Suez War . Rom was the co - pilot of the lead C - 47 in the 16 - ship formation which dropped Israeli paratroops at the Mitla Pass . She spent the rest of the war shuttling supplies to the troops in the Sinai and evacuating the wounded . Rom was on board the first aircraft to land at Sharm el - Sheik after its capture by Israeli forces , and dropped paratroops at At - Tur on November 3 . Rom retired from reserve service in 1962 after the birth of her first daughter , although she had initially failed to report the birth in order to evade the IDF policy of discharging mothers . Civilian career . Rom graduated from the Hebrew University in Jerusalem with a degree in history and political science , as well as a teacher ' s certificate . In 1957 she was invited to join Arkia Airlines , working as a first officer for three years . Between 1960 and 1982 she worked for the Technion Institute of Technology in educational research , consultation and administration . She initiated and developed a unit providing academic support for under - represented groups such as minorities and the handicapped . Later in life she initiated and developed ORT ' s " Young Women in the 21st Century " program which encourages young women to pursue careers in engineering . In 1974 Rom established the Women ' s Council of the Haifa mayor ' s office . Although a longtime member of the Likud , in 1983 she ran for the post of mayor at the head of an independent list , coming in second with 17 . 9 percent of the vote . Rom , a mother of three , was married to Yosef Rom , a professor of aeronautics at the Technion and a former Likud member of the Knesset . She died in Haifa on May 24 , 2006 . On May 26 , 2008 , the city of Petah Tikva named a local street in her honor , in a ceremony attended by family and members of 103 Squadron .