Karen Ruth, a Minnesotan woman who started flying airplanes before she got her driver's license, has retired from Delta Air Lines, where she was the longest-tenured female captain. She was No. 17 on the seniority list in an airline with over 17,200 pilots. Her retirement came on April 18, when she flew her last wide-body passenger jet from Dublin to Minneapolis St. Paul International Airport (MSP), her home base. Ruth graduated from the University of North Dakota in 1982 and served as a recruiter and liaison between the airline and the flight school. Her daughter, Kate Ruth, is a Delta pilot.