Pilots, Planes and Pioneers

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hile the Wright brothers may have been the first to make a sustained, controlled flight, they were just two among hundreds of brave men and women who helped to give the world its wings during the earliest days of aviation. Their Flyer was but one of many historically important aircraft. Below are brief descriptions and photos of some of the most important people and planes, and where available resources and links where you can find more information. In some cases, contributors have supplied expanded histories and biographies. Those are listed at the right and linked below.

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Harriet Quimby was a highly successful photojournalist working for Leslie's Illustrated Weekly in 1910 when she attended the international air meet at Belmont Park, New York. There she fell in love with flying. She also met Matilde Moisant and her brother John Moisant, an aviator and airplane builder. Their brother Alfred ran a flying school on Long Island, New York. Both Harriet and Matilde enrolled, Harriet writing about her flying lessons for Leslie's. On 1 August 1911, she became the first woman pilot licensed to fly in the United States. (Matilde was awarded her license a few weeks later.) Harriet began to do exhibition flights, wearing a distinctive flying suit of purple satin. In March of 1912, she sailed for England secretly, determined to be the first women pilot to fly the English Channel. She had written Bleriot to buy a new two-seat, 70-horsepower monoplane to fly in Europe, but is was not ready when she arrived. So Louis Bleriot loaned her his own aircraft and she crossed from Dover to Calais on 16 April 1912. Upon  returning to America with her new Bleriot, the Vin Fiz  company engaged her as their spokewoman for their soft drink and featured her likeness (in her purple flying suit) on many advertisements. At the Third Annual Boston Aviation Meet on 1 July 1912, she lost control of her Bleriot airplane and she and her passenger fell to their deaths. Her flying career lasted only 11 months, but inspired many women to fly.
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Harriet Quimby.

Quimby prepares to take off from Dover in her borrowed Bleriot.

Quimby in her trademark purple satin flying suit starts the engine of her Bleriot monoplane..

A collector's card showing aviatrix Harriet Quimby enjoying a glass of Vin Fiz soda.

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"Aviation is proof that – given the will – we can do the impossible."
 Eddie Rickenbacker

 

 

A History of the Airplane/Pilots, Planes and Pioneers Q

Biographies of Aviation Pioneers

 

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