Women Aviators: 26 Stories of Pioneer Flights, Daring Missions, and Record-Setting Journeys
2 WOMEN AVIATORS had been badly hurt in a crash She managed her brothers busi ness affairs and became an officer in their company Katherine had far better social skills than her brothers which also helped their airplane receive the right kind of attention The French were so taken with Katherine that they called her the third Wright brother and awarded her and her brothers the Legion of Honor H(cid:114)h As soon as people were convinced that airplanes and flight were possible they were interested in flying and building airplanes Aviation took off with the most adventurous souls ready to lead the charge To the surprise of many men there were women who wanted to pilot these new flying machines as well Some men didn’t think women had either the physical strength or the mental capacity to pilot an airplane Women had to prove themselves again and again by earning pilot licenses setting records demonstrating aerial moves and winning races They had to keep proving themselves because as Ambassador Clare Boothe Luce once wrote Because I am a woman I must make unusual efforts to succeed If I fail no one will say She doesn’t have what it takes They will say Women don’t have what it takes Today women pilots fly for the airlines in the military and in space They fly air races command helicopter mercy flights haul freight stock high mountain lakes with fish seed clouds patrol pipelines teach others to fly maintain jet engines and transport people Whether male or female people become pilots often for the same reasons First they love flying and they love using their
INTRODUCTION 3 talents and being respected for them They enjoy the feeling of belonging to this strong family called aviation Perhaps most of all they love the challenge of being in the air because there’s nothing else like it
PART I Pioneers of Aviation Great change came with the beginning of the 20th cen tury The Machine Age led to the creation of factories People left the uncertainty of rural agricultural life for the many jobs that factories and machinery provided The cities pulsated with life from the bright lights radio and new motion pictures The steam engine made it possible to transport people and goods great distances whether by train or boat Transportation possibilities blew wide open when Henry Ford opened Ford Motor Company in 1903 Now people had personal transpor tation that they could take out whenever they wanted What could be next Even with the vast amount of progress in the world a heavier-than-air flying machine was still a surprise Flying was something that had to be seen to be believed so people flocked to airfields and exhibitions to be amazed After aviation was introduced its popularity spread quickly and soon countries such as France Great Britain and Germany began investing in this new and wondrous industry France in particular began producing great pilots airplanes and flight 5
