My name is Mary Louise Gallagher and I have been involved with aviation, on and off, my entire adult life. After college, I taught second grade and had the time of my life, however, my heart was in the sky.

I began my career in aviation with American Airlines as a flight attendant and after two years, was fortunate to be hired by Pan American World Airways. I loved traveling the world, and having fellow crew members to sight see and shop with. Life couldn’t have been better. I then met my husband and decided that three years of being a gypsy was fun but now, I wanted a family, home and some roots. I married and had three fabulous children.

During the time at home with my children, I kept busy with tennis, paddle tennis, skiing, Junior League and other volunteer work. I earned my Real Estate license and bought and sold my own homes.

In 1979, I began doing public relations for Pan American, traveling to and from China with their VIP clientele, on a part-time basis. In 1985 I returned to Pan American as a flight attendant and remained with them until their demise in 1991.

After the demise of Pan Am I was a flight attendant for many other airlines, one being American International Airways based in Saudi Arabia. I lived in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia flying charter trips for Saudia Airlines whose clientele ranged from pilgrims making the religious trip to Mecca to members of the royal family. With American International Airways, I had the opportunity to live in India for a summer and continue my work bringing pilgrims to Mecca.

As a result of my lengthy experience in the airline industry, I was commissioned by Panagra Airlines to head up their Flight Attendant Department. In my capacity as Director of In-Flight Services with Panagra I helped to develop and write flight attendant manuals and organize the department for the First Class operation that it was going to be. This experience has proven to be invaluable both to my students and to their ultimate employers.

My adventure in corporate aviation began with a trip to Ft. Lauderdale airport to visit with a friend. Once I saw her airplane and listened to the description of her job, I decided this was something I had to be a part of. I was involved in corporate aviation as a flight attendant for almost two years until I decided that I wanted to pass along the knowledge and experience I had gained to other flight attendants. I started Beyond & Above in the summer of 2001 and look forward to many years helping others find their way in aviation. Our good reputation has come to the attention of many potential corporate employers that have hired our Flight Attendants. Our academy provides an efficient recruitment device saving companies many hours of training that they might otherwise have to spend training flight attendants.