Harriet Quimby

Harriet Quimby is the perfect woman for my first post: she was born very close to here (in Arcadia, Michigan), she was a writer, photographer, race car driver AND the first woman in the US to receive a pilot’s license. She also did it with style, creating a one-piece purple flying suit so she would be recognizable. She was the first woman to fly across the English Channel, but as the Titanic sank two days earlier, the accomplishment got lost.

Flying captured the imagination of everyone in a way hard to imagine today. Flying clubs popped up across the globe, leading eventually to Amelia Earhart and the WASPs (Women’s Air Service Pilots) who we’ll take a look at another day.

Additional Links

Adapting outfits for flying

NPR’s Biography

National Aviation Hall of Fame

Google+

 

 

 

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