Five Women Who Shaped Aviation
Whether you prefer to fly commercial, private or by helicopter, it is crucial to recognise the remarkable history of women in aviation, who helped to shape the industry into what it is today.
Bessie Coleman (1892-1926)
Bessie is remembered as the first woman of Native and African American descent to earn her pilot’s license, breaking racial stereotypes and barriers. She achieved her license at a time when neither African-Americans nor women were allowed to attend flight school, so she travelled to France in her 20s to complete this ambition. On her return to the US, she became a well-regarded air show pilot and taught aviation to other African Americans. She famously remarked, “the air is the only place free from prejudices.”
Bessie Coleman: America’s first black female pilot
Harriet Quimby
Harriet is renowned as the first American licensed female pilot. She was a journalist with a notably petite stature and pale complexion, that earned her the nickname ‘China Doll’. In 1912, she became the first woman to fly solo across the English channel. Her accomplishment however was overshadowed by the sinking of the Titanic two days before. She sadly died three months later in an airshow performance.
Harriet Quimby nicknamed the ‘China Doll’
Amelia Earhart (1897-1939)
Without a doubt the most famous female pilot of all time, and still one of aviation’s biggest mysteries, Amelia Earhart remains a household name to this day. She became the first woman to fly solo above 14,000 feet and later across the Atlantic. She was awarded the Flying Cross, a military decoration for extraordinary achievement and was passionate in her work to promote opportunities within aviation for women. In 1937 she took off from California in an attempt to become the first pilot to fly around the world. Infamously, the plane lost contact shortly after. No sign of Earhart or the plane were ever found; rendering Earhart’s name legendary.
Aviation’s biggest mystery: Amelia Earhart
Geraldine ‘Jerrie’ Mock (1925- 2014)
Jerrie Mock was an American pilot and the first woman to fly solo around the world, completing the journey that Earhart did not. She made the flight in 1964 over 29 days, 11 hours and 59 minutes, covering 23,103 miles. Not only did she set this record, but also was the first woman to fly across both the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. In a 2014 interview with the Smithsonian Magazine she remarked, “I thought, well I’ve got to fly the ocean [so] I might as well go all the way around.”
Geraldine Mock poses with her Spirit of Columbus plane before her pioneering round the world flight.
Eileen Collins (1956-present day)
Eileen made history when she became the first female pilot and astronaut to command a US space shuttle in 1995. She is now a retired NASA astronaut and U.S. Air Force colonel.
Credit: NASA. Eileen Collins aboard the US space shuttle.
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