NOVA MCGILL
Contributor
Harriet Quimby earned the title of the United States’ first licensed female pilot on August 1, 1911, when she received her pilot’s license from the Aero Club of America. Labeled number 37, this achievement effectively made her the United States’ first female pilot, at a time when flight was still a new and dangerous experience.
Prior to becoming a pioneer in the skies, Quimby worked as a journalist and screenwriter. Flight fascinated her after attending air shows in New York. Undaunted, she began training at the Moisant Aviation School and quickly proved herself to be a capable and brave flyer. At this time, aircraft were not as technologically advanced as they are today, but this did not stop her from entering the new and dangerous world of flight headfirst.
In April 1912, Quimby made another historic flight, becoming the first woman to fly solo across the English Channel, tracing the route that Louis Blériot had taken in 1909. This achievement, however, was not recognized by the public due to the news of the Titanic’s sinking that occurred just days later. In the fall of 1912, Quimby died in a plane crash in Boston, but her legacy nonetheless lives on, paving the way for future generations of female pilots.