Women Aviators: 26 Stories of Pioneer Flights, Daring Missions, and Record-Setting Journeys
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
6 PIONEERS OF AVIATION schools so it’s not surprising that the first licensed woman pilot was French In fact five of the first six licensed women pilots were French number four Hélène Dutrieu was from Belgium The first 10 women to earn a pilot’s license were the following Jeanne Herveau France December 7 1910 1 Raymonde de Laroche France March 8 1910 2 Marthe Niel France August 29 1910 3 Marie Marvingt France November 8 1910 4 Hélène Dutrieu Belgium November 25 1910 5 6 Marie-Louise Driancourt France June 15 1911 7 Harriet Quimby USA August 1 1911 8 Lidia Zvereva Russia August 10 1911 9 Matilde Moisant USA August 17 1911 10 Hilda Hewlett England August 29 1911 Hélène Dutrieu Library of Congress LC-USZ62-129830
PIONEERS OF AVIATION 7 Women’s roles in society were changing No longer content to sit on the sidelines women wanted to fly But most men were uneasy about women in planes Pilots knew that flying a plane had nothing to do with physical strength but they doubted that women could understand the technology behind aviation And if there were an emergency what women could make the calm rational decisions needed But women had exactly what was needed for aviation and they were determined to join men in the skies In the early years getting a pilot’s license wasn’t a requirement Women such as Blanche Scott and Bessica Raiche were reportedly flying before America’s first woman pilot earned a license but neither woman stayed with aviation Raiche became a physician Scott became disgusted with the industry after seeing the public’s attraction to plane crashes The people who pursued aviation both men and women were truly remarkable Most airplanes weren’t very sturdy and didn’t offer much protection in a crash American women who weren’t even allowed to vote until 1920 had to work hard just to find someone to teach them how to fly as most flight schools didn’t accept female students Seven years after Wilbur Wright flew 120 feet 36 5 meters in the flyer women were demanding the opportunity to fly The early female aviation pioneers made things possible for the women who followed They were the first
