Women have always played an important role in aviation, and not always from the background.
For instance, Elizabeth Thible of France is cited as the first female to leave earth. She floated more than a mile above ground in a hot air balloon in 1784. By 1834, 22 women in Europe were piloting their own balloons on solo flights.
But Europe wasn’t the only place where women were making their mark. In the 1880s, Mary Myers of New York was one of the first female balloonists in America to make a solo flight.
Katherine Wright, sister to Orville and Wilbur Wright, was instrumental to her brothers’ successes in the early 1900s. She was called “the third Wright brother” by contemporaries of the time.
In 1908, Tiny Broadwick became the first person to make a parachute jump from a hot air balloon. She was 15 years old. She later demonstrated parachute jumping from aircraft to the US Army.
On March 8 , 1910, French Baroness Raymonde de Laroche became the first woman to earn a pilot’s license. That milestone is being honored across the globe this year with numerous events.
In 1911, Harriet Quimby became the first licensed female pilot in the United States. Bessie Coleman became the first licensed African-American pilot in 1921. In 1928, Pearl Carter Scott, a Chickasaw, became the youngest licensed female pilot at 13 years old.
Amelia Earhart was the first woman to fly solo across the Atlantic in 1932. In 1938, Hanna Reitsch becomes the first licensed female helicopter pilot.
And let’s not forget the contributions made by the Women’s Auxiliary Ferrying Squadron (WAFS) and the Women’s Flying Training Detachment (WFTD). These organizations later merged together to become the Women’s Air Force Service Pilots or WASPs. These courageous women flew aircraft from factories to aerodromes to free up military pilots needed for combat missions. They were flight instructors, replacing men who had gone to war. They were eventually given veteran status for their wartime efforts.
Also making tremendous contributions to aviation during wartime were the Rosie the Riveters. These were the mothers, wives and daughters of the fighting men. Rosies were the working women of World War II, who helped the war effort from the home front. They worked in munitions plants, shipyards and airplane manufacturing plants, just to name a few.
Fast forward to 1963. Russian Valenhtina Tereshkova became the first woman in space. In 1979, six women were selected by NASA as astronaut candidates. In 1983, Sally K. Ride became the first US woman astronaut.
These are but a few examples of the accomplishments of woman in aviation. As the industry advances, you can be sure women will continue to be in the forefront.
By Jennifer Quidas
