Humans have always wanted to fly. We have looked at the birds in the sky and wanted that ability. Early flying machines were designed and experimented with mostly by men. Aviation was dangerous and many men and women lost their lives flying in the early days. The first successful plane design was the Wright brothers’, and they also had the first sustained airplane flight in 1903. It wasn’t long after that before women stepped into the world of aviation. Women have always been adventurers, explorers and thrill seekers. They have faced many more obstacles to fulfill their dreams but thankfully there were women who were bold and brave enough to push through despite any obstacles.

Here, Angie Grandstaff looks at five amazing female pilots.

Harriet Quimby

Harriet Quimby (1875-1912) was a New York journalist and photographer. As a journalist, she went all over reporting and looking for stories. She became interested in aviation after seeing some early airshows. Harriet met the Moisant family who gave her an intro into the aviation world in 1910. John Moisant was a pilot and Harriet took flying lessons with John’s sister, Matilde. Harriet became the first American woman to obtain a pilot’s license in 1911. She loved the freedom flying gave her and she traveled all over the United States and Mexico. She also joined the Moisant International Aviators exhibition team. Harriet wore a purple satin outfit to fly because she loved standing out. Harriet was the first woman to fly across the English Channel on April 16, 1912. This was a huge feat that was done in extreme fog with a faulty compass and a plane she hadn’t flown before. Unfortunately, her flight took place just after the Titanic sank so her major accomplishment barely made the news. Harriet was flying with the exhibition team at an airshow in Boston in 1912 when her plane went into a nosedive. Harriet and her passenger weren’t wearing seatbelts and they were thrown from the plane into the Boston harbor. They were both killed. Harriet was one of the few female pilots at the time of her death. She lived her life in the moment and was always looking for an adventure setting a bold example for girls and women everywhere.

The Stinson Sisters

Katherine (1891-1977) and Marjorie (1895-1975) Stinson grew up in a family that supported their dreams of flying. Katherine was the oldest and paved the way for little sister Marjorie. In 1912, Katherine was the fourth American woman to obtain a pilot’s license when she was just 19 years old. The Stinson family moved to Texas in 1912 and established a flying business. They offered a mail carrier service for some time and flying lessons. Katherine was known as a daredevil. She became the first woman to perform a loop and her stunt work had her outflying the men. Katherine built her own planes and was the first pilot to use flares to skywrite. She attached the flares to her plane and wrote CAL over the California skies in 1915. She set records for distance and duration plus did a six-month tour in China and Japan where she performed for thousands. Marjorie received her pilot’s license in 1914 at the age of 19 as well and worked with Katherine as a stunt pilot. Marjorie expanded the family flying business when she obtained 500 acres near the San Antonio River. Marjorie was the lead flight instructor at Stinson Field. She trained hundreds of pilots during the early years of World War I. Katherine and Marjorie had petitioned the U.S. government to allow them to serve as pilots in 1917 but they were denied because of their gender. Katherine joined the war effort as an ambulance driver and served in France while Marjorie continued to train Canadian and American male pilots for war. After the war, both sisters continued working as stunt pilots. Katherine retired from flying in 1920 and Marjorie retired from flying as well in 1928. These sisters broke barriers as pilots and as women. Their spirit of adventure and love for flying made an impact in the field of aviation.

Bessie Coleman

Bessie Coleman (1892-1926) was born in Texas to African American sharecroppers. Bessie lived during a time where Jim Crow laws and racial discrimination were rampant which made her accomplishments even more amazing. Bessie moved to Chicago in 1915 and joined her brothers who were living there. She became a well-known manicurist. This was one of the jobs that allowed African American women to obtain some financial freedom at that time. Bessie became fascinated with the tales of flying she heard from military men, including her brother, who were returning from World War I. As an African American woman, Bessie faced significant barriers to her dream to fly. She was denied entry into American flying schools, so she looked to France where people of color were able to obtain their pilot’s license. Bessie learned the French language and saved her money to prepare for a trip to France. She also obtained financial support from African American millionaire, Robert Abbott. Bessie went to France in 1920. She received her pilot’s license and became the first African American woman to do so. When she returned to America, Bessie performed as a stunt pilot and barnstormer in many airshows. She was a popular speaker and encouraged African Americans to pursue aviation. In 1926, Bessie was preparing for an airshow in Florida and took a flight with her mechanic. He lost control of the plane. Bessie wasn’t wearing a seatbelt and fell to her death. Bessie’s life was short but the impact she had on aviation especially for African Americans was immense. Her legacy is still going strong. Mae Jemison, the first African American woman to go into space, carried a picture of Bessie Coleman with her on that journey.

Willa Brown

Willa Brown (1906-1992) was born in Kentucky to an African American father and Native American mother. Willa’s parents moved their family to Indiana in hopes of a better education for their children. Willa was a bright student and went on to earn a bachelor’s degree in business and Master’s degree in business administration. She had many jobs and became interested in flying when she lived in Chicago. Willa was interested in the mechanics of flying as well as flying itself. She took flying lessons at Harlem Field in Chicago. In 1935, she became the first African American woman to obtain a pilot’s license in the United States plus obtained a commercial pilot’s license and a master mechanics certificate. Willa’s husband, Cornelius Coffey, opened the first African American owned flight training academy. Willa was an instructor and director at this school. She wanted to see more African Americans in aviation. Willa was a founding member of the first African American aviator’s group, National Airmen’s Association of American. Willa advocated for the U.S. military to be desegregated and her school became part of the government funded, Civilian Pilot Training Program. They trained African American men who were training at the Tuskegee Institute in Alabama. This led to the creation of the Tuskegee Airmen. Willa trained hundreds of these men who became Tuskegee airmen and instructors. She was very politically driven and became the first African American woman to run for Congress. Although she lost, it didn’t stop her from her life’s mission. She continued advocating for the rights of African Americans especially in the military and aviation for the rest of her life.

The Night Witches

The Night Witches were a group of Russian women who flew during World War II. They were dubbed ‘The Night Witches’ by the Germans because they only flew their bombing raids at night and their wooden planes sounded like a sweeping broom. Like in most countries around the world, Russian women were barred from combat. Russia was in a very bad spot militarily when they decided to allow women to pilot their planes. In October 1941, a group of women were recruited by Colonel Marina Raskova to fly combat missions into Germany. Marina was called the Soviet Amelia Earhart. She was the first female navigator in the Soviet Air Force and was well known for her flying abilities. Many Russian women wanted to help with the war effort especially in combat roles and these female regiments gave them that chance. Marina selected 400 women from 2,000 applicants and these became the all-female regiments: the 588th, 587th and 586th. Normally, flight and combat training can take years, but these women were just given an intense few months of training. They faced much skepticism and harassment from the men in the military. No new uniforms or boots for these women, they were given hand-me-downs from male soldiers. Some had to stuff their boots with different material to make them fit. The hand-me-downs didn’t stop there. The planes given to these all-female regiments were old wooden biplanes. These planes offered no weather or bullet protection, no parachutes, no modern instruments, no radio. Each plane carried two crewmembers and two bombs. The weight of the bombs required these planes to travel low which is why these missions were carried out at night. The female pilots had to use maps, compasses and flashlights to help them navigate. Although these women were in planes not fit for battle, there were advantages. Their wooden planes couldn’t be detected on radar, they could outmaneuver the bigger planes and land/take off almost anywhere. All those advantages plus coming in at night meant these regiments did serious damage. From 1942-1945, the Night Witches dropped 3,000 tons of bombs, 26,000 incendiary shells and much more. Despite their amazing efforts and accomplishments, these women faced serious discrimination from male soldiers. The discrimination made them even more determined to fly and they embraced the German nickname ‘The Night Witches’. Once the war was over, women were once again kept out of combat roles and the feats of the Night Witches faded from memory.

Let us not forget these women and all women, past and present who are pushing the boundaries to chase dreams and ultimately changing the world for women everywhere.

Angie Grandstaff is a writer and librarian. She loves to write about history, books and self-development.

Now read Angie’s article on 5 Amazing Female Businesses in 19th Century America here.