Lieutenant Colonel Olga E. Custodio (born 1954) was an officer in the United States Air Force who made history when she became the first female Hispanic U.S. military pilot. She holds the distinction of being first Latina to complete U.S. Air Force military pilot training. After retiring from the military she became the first Latina to become a commercial airline captain.

Early years - Custodio was born in San Juan, Puerto Rico. Her father was a Sergeant in the United States Army and was often stationed in various countries where the United States has its military installations. Custodio and the rest of the family would accompany him in his overseas assignments. Custodio began her primary education in Taiwan. She also attended schools in New Jersey, Iran and Paraguay.

The family returned to Puerto Rico where they settled down when she was 15 years old. She graduated high school when she was 16 and applied to continue her education at the University of Puerto Rico where she was accepted. Both her father and all the traveling that she did at a young age served as inspirational factors when it came to deciding what she would like to do in the future. While in college she attempted to join the university’s ROTC (Reserve Officer Training Corps) program, however she was told that only men were allowed.

Military career - Custodio earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Puerto Rico and worked for various industries before landing a job in the accounting department of Prinair (Puerto Rico International Airlines). There she met Edwin Custodio with whom she would eventually have two children. She later worked for the US Department of Defense (DoD) in Panama.

With the support of her husband, she presented herself before the Military Center Headquarters and applied for admission to United States Air Force Officers Candidate School. Custodio was accepted and decided upon being a Pilot as her career choice.

She graduated from Officer Training School in January 1980, and was commissioned a Second Lieutenant. She qualified for Undergraduate Pilot Training (UPT) at Laughlin Air Force Base in Texas and graduated the following year, thus becoming the first Latina to complete the U.S. Air Force military pilot training. Her first assignment in the military was that of instructor pilot at Laughlin AFB. She was the first female to become a Northrop T-38 Talon (T-38) UPT flight instructor at that base. The T-38 Talon is the Air Force’s two-seat, supersonic jet trainer.