Women have been involved in aviation from the beginnings of both lighter-than air travel and as airplanes, helicopters and space travel were developed. Women pilots were also formerly called "aviatrices" (singular "aviatrix"). Women have been flying powered aircraft since 1908; prior to 1970, however, most were restricted to working privately or in support roles in the aviation industry. Aviation also allowed women to "travel alone on unprecedented journeys". Women who have been successful in various aviation fields have served as mentors to younger women, helping them along in their careers. Within the first two decades of powered flight, female pilots were breaking speed, endurance and altitude records. They were competing and winning against the men in air races, and women on every continent except Antarctica had begun to fly, perform in aerial shows, parachute, and even transport passengers. During World War II, women from every continent helped with war efforts, though mostly restricted from military flight, many flew in auxiliary services. In the 1950s and 1960s, women were primarily restricted to serving in support fields such as flight simulation training, air traffic control, and as flight attendants. Since the 1970s, women have been allowed to participate in military service in most countries. Women's participation in the field of aviation has increased over the years. In 1909, Marie Surcouf founded the world's first female pilot organization, the Aéroclub féminin la Stella. Following the 1929 women-only National Air Races held in the United States, 99 of the 117 women holding U.S. pilot licenses founded the first American female pilot organization, the Ninety-Nines, named for the number of founding members. By 1930, there were around 200 women pilots in the U.S., but within five years there were more than 700. Women of Aviation Worldwide Week has reported that after 1980, the increase in gender parity among pilots in the United States has been stagnant. The global percentage of women airline pilots is 3%. While the overall number of female pilots in aviation has increased, the percentage remains the same.
History
The first woman known to fly was Élisabeth Thible, who was a passenger in an untethered hot air balloon, which flew above Lyon, France in 1784. Four years later, Jeanne Labrosse became the first woman to fly solo in a balloon and would become the first woman to parachute, as well. Sophie Blanchard took her first balloon flight in 1804, was performing as a professional aeronaut by 1810 and was made Napoleon's chief of air service in 1811. Blanchard died in 1819, when her balloon caught fire. Although she was able to extinguish the blaze, the basket tilted and she fell to her death. In June 1903, Aida de Acosta, an American woman vacationing in Paris, convinced Alberto Santos-Dumont, pioneer of dirigibles, to allow her to pilot his airship, becoming probably the first woman to pilot a motorized aircraft. Starting 1906, another inventor of aircraft, Emma Lilian Todd began designing her own airplanes. Todd first started studying dirigibles before she moved onto designing airplanes. Todd's first plane flew in 1910 and was piloted by Didier Masson. Early parachutist, Georgia "Tiny" Broadwick started working with barnstormer, Charles Broadwick at age 15 in 1908. She made her first jump in 1908, and in 1913, became the first woman to jump from an aircraft. In 1914, Broadwick gave the very first demonstrations of parachute jumping to the United States government. When she retired in 1922, she had completed 1,100 jumps.
The first woman passenger in an airplane was Mlle P. Van Pottelsberghe de la Poterie who flew with Henri Farman on several short flights at an airshow in Ghent, Belgium between May and June 1908. Soon after, in July 1908, French sculptor Thérèse Peltier was taken up as a passenger by Léon Delagrange and within a few months she was reported as making a solo flight in Turin, Italy, flying around 200 meters in a straight line about two and a half meters off the ground. Edith Berg, an American, who flew as a passenger with Wilbur Wright in Paris in October 1908, was the inspiration of the hobble skirt designed by Paul Poiret. The first machine-powered flight was accomplished by the Wright Brothers on December 17, 1903. Both brothers recognized the contributions of their sister Katherine Wright to their work. She found teachers who could help with the Wright's flying experiments. Katherine first flew with her brothers in 1909 and knew "everything about the working of their machines". Katherine supported them financially, giving them her savings and also supported them emotionally. When Orville Wright was injured in 1908, Katherine moved close to the hospital to take care of him. After the Wright brothers patented their aircraft in 1906, she worked as their executive secretary. In 1909, she traveled to Europe to become the social manager for her brothers. Her brothers were very introverted and relied on Katherine to help promote their work. The French government awarded her the Officier de l’Instruction Publique, one of France's highest distinctions, when her brothers received the Légion d’Honneur in 1909. Katherine was considered the "silent partner" of the Wright Brothers by The World Magazine. The St. Louis Post-Dispatch called her the "inspiration of her brothers in their experiments". This did not prevent Orville Wright from ostracising her when she got married. He thought of this as a betrayal. She died of illness less than a year later, and he did not reach her side until after her death.
1910s
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