Mother-daughter pilot duo delight passengers during recent Delta flight

Capt. Wendy Rexon and her daughter, First Officer Kelly Rexon, are having a great time flying the friendly skies together.

Upon boarding a recent Delta flight from Los Angeles to Atlanta, Dr. John R. Watret, the chancellor of Embry-Riddle Worldwide Aeronautical University, learned that the plane's pilot and first officer were a mother and daughter team. Watret was thrilled, as he feels there "has to be more diversification in the industry," he said in a news release. "It's crucial and one of the key factors we focus on. When there are more opportunities, everyone wins." Watret and a few other passengers chatted with the Rexons before the plane took off, and he found out that flying runs in the family: Kelly's sister is a pilot, too.

As of 2017, just 7 percent of Federal Aviation Administration certified pilots were women, and Watret said the industry will grow stronger as more women join the workforce. "The first officer had a great role model for becoming a pilot — her mother," he said. "It's good for aviation and inspiring for us all."

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