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Random Musings: A Blog Curated by beYOUteous — women in aviation RSS




Ruth Elder: Aviator & Actress

Ever since journalist and screenwriter Harriet Quimby became the first American woman licensed as a pilot in 1911, many women have been breaking barriers to find their place in the sky. Ruth Elder was determined to become the female Charles Lindbergh, and the first woman to cross the Atlantic. She was a charter member of The Ninety-Nines, starred in Moran of the Marines (1928) and The Winged Horseman (1929), and took part in the Women's Air Derby which took place on August 18, 1929, along with twenty other women.

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Ruth Rowland Nichols: Pioneer in American Aviation

From the late 1920s through mid-1930s, Ruth Rowland Nichols was one of the best-known American women in aviation. Nicknamed the "Flying Debutante" by the press,  Nichols held more than 35 women's aviation records. She flew the dirigible, glider, autogyro, landplane, seaplane, amphibian, monoplanes, biplanes, triplanes, twin and four engine transports and supersonic jets. She became first woman in the world to earn an international hydroplane license.

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Olive Ann Beech: The First Lady of Aviation

Olive Ann Beech was born on September 25, 1903 in Waverly, Kansas to Franklin Benjamin Mellor and Susannah Miller Mellor. She was the youngest of four girls and would become the co-founder, president, and chairwoman of Beech Aircraft Corporation. Her career spanned 50 years prior to her retirement in September 1982, she was the first woman to head a major aircraft company.

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