Plane Facts: Women In Aviation

The history and present-day facts about women in aviation are challenging and inspiring.

Plane & Pilot

Thursday, December 07, 2017 at 08:33 AM ET

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Key Takeaways:

Raymonde de Laroche (1910) was the first woman worldwide to receive a pilot's license, followed by Harriet Quimby (1911) in the U.S., who also made the first female flight across the English Channel.
Helen Richey became the first female airline pilot in 1934 but quit due to discrimination, highlighting early challenges, while the Women Airforce Service Pilots (WASPs) served crucially in WWII, flying 60 million miles as civilians.
Jacqueline Cochran achieved numerous records, becoming the first woman to break the sound barrier (1953) and holding the most international speed, distance, and altitude records.
The article also notes other significant milestones like Valentina Tereshkova as the first woman in space (1963) and Barbara Allen Rainey as the first official U.S. armed forces female pilot (1974), with overall female pilot certificates showing a gradual increase by 2016.

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First woman to receive a pilot’s license, worldwide: Raymonde de Laroche, March 8, 1910 (France)

Other aviation accomplishments: women’s altitude (12,869 feet, 15,700 feet) and distance (201 miles) records

Death: killed co-piloting a test flight, July 18, 1919

First woman to receive a pilot’s license, U.S.: Harriet Quimby, August 1, 1911

Previous career: Journalist/writer

Quimby’s license number: 37

Other historic accomplishment: First woman to fly across the English Channel, April 16, 1912

Length of flying career: 11 months—killed in plane crash July 1, 1912

First woman to fly solo across the Atlantic: Amelia Earhart

First female airline pilot: Helen Richey (Central Airlines, 1934)

Other aviation accomplishments: 10-day endurance record (with Frances Marsalis – 1933), international altitude record (1936), first female air mail pilot, first CAA-licensed woman flight instructor, commandant of the American wing of the British Air Transport Auxiliary (1942), WASP member (1943-44)

Time flown for endurance record: 237 hours, 42 minutes (estimated 23,700 miles)

Length of airline pilot career: 10 months—quit due to discrimination after she was barred from the pilot’s union and only allowed to fly in fair weather

Richey’s pre-war flight hours: more than 10,000

War service: 300+ hours flown in 27 types of aircraft

Women In Aviation - WASP pilot Elizabeth L. Remba Gardner — *Elizabeth L. Remba Gardner of Rockford, Illinois—Women’s Airforce Service Pilot (WASP) Class 43-W-6—at Harlingen Army Air Field, Texas*

Women Airforce Service Pilots (WASPs): served in WWII ferrying aircraft, transporting military personnel, conducting test flights, towing targets to train gunners, etc.

Requirements before joining: 35 hours flight time

Number of applicants: more than 25,000

Number accepted into training: 1,830

Number of WASPs after training: 1,102

Estimated number of miles flown by WASPs: 60 million

Number of WASPs killed in training or on duty: 38

WASP military status until 1977: civilian—no military benefits or honors given

First woman to break the sound barrier: Jacqueline Cochran (1953)

Early career: Hairdressing

Pilot to hold the most international speed, distance and altitude records, male or female: Jacqueline Cochran

First woman enshrined in the Aviation Hall of Fame: Jacqueline Cochran (1971)

Estimated active FAA pilot certificates held by women, 1960: 9,966 (2.85%)