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- Ruth Elder in her Prize Winning Costume, Balboa, Panama, 1926 - Ruth Elder planned to be the first woman to fly across the Atlantic. On October 11, 1927, Elder and co-pilot George Haldeman took off in their Stinson Detroiter <em>American Girl</em>. An oil leak forced them to ditch in the ocean some 360 miles short of land. Still, the 2,623 miles Elder covered set a new distance record for a female pilot.
- 1926
- Collections - Artifact
Ruth Elder in her Prize Winning Costume, Balboa, Panama, 1926
Ruth Elder planned to be the first woman to fly across the Atlantic. On October 11, 1927, Elder and co-pilot George Haldeman took off in their Stinson Detroiter American Girl. An oil leak forced them to ditch in the ocean some 360 miles short of land. Still, the 2,623 miles Elder covered set a new distance record for a female pilot.
- Elinor Smith after Record-Breaking Women's Endurance Flight, 1929 - Elinor Smith took her first flight at age six and earned a pilot's license at 16. She made headlines flying under New York City bridges in 1928, but more serious pursuits earned Smith a series of endurance, speed, and altitude records for a female pilot. Smith piloted an airplane for the last time in 2001, at the age of 89.
- April 23, 1929
- Collections - Artifact
Elinor Smith after Record-Breaking Women's Endurance Flight, 1929
Elinor Smith took her first flight at age six and earned a pilot's license at 16. She made headlines flying under New York City bridges in 1928, but more serious pursuits earned Smith a series of endurance, speed, and altitude records for a female pilot. Smith piloted an airplane for the last time in 2001, at the age of 89.
- Ruth Law in Curtiss Pusher Aircraft, circa 1915 - Ruth Law earned her pilot's license in 1912 and soon developed a taste for aerobatics and record breaking. In 1916 she flew 590 nonstop miles from Chicago to the state of New York. During World War I, Law argued unsuccessfully for women to fly in combat roles. Law continued to set records until she retired from flying in 1922.
- circa 1915
- Collections - Artifact
Ruth Law in Curtiss Pusher Aircraft, circa 1915
Ruth Law earned her pilot's license in 1912 and soon developed a taste for aerobatics and record breaking. In 1916 she flew 590 nonstop miles from Chicago to the state of New York. During World War I, Law argued unsuccessfully for women to fly in combat roles. Law continued to set records until she retired from flying in 1922.
- Elinor Smith during her Record Woman's Endurance Flight, 1929 - Amelia Earhart may have been better known by the public, but fellow aviators voted Elinor Smith "Best Female Pilot" in 1930. Smith, who set a series of endurance, speed, and altitude records for a female pilot, was not without fame. In 1934 she became the first woman to appear on a Wheaties box. The press dubbed her the "Flying Flapper."
- April 23, 1929
- Collections - Artifact
Elinor Smith during her Record Woman's Endurance Flight, 1929
Amelia Earhart may have been better known by the public, but fellow aviators voted Elinor Smith "Best Female Pilot" in 1930. Smith, who set a series of endurance, speed, and altitude records for a female pilot, was not without fame. In 1934 she became the first woman to appear on a Wheaties box. The press dubbed her the "Flying Flapper."
- "Ruth Elder's Ocean Flight," 1927 - Ruth Elder fell short of her goal to be the first woman to fly the Atlantic in 1927, but the public loved her just the same. She competed in the 1929 Women's Air Derby and parlayed her aviation fame into a modest film career. Elder was fondly remembered as the "Miss America of the Air" when she died in 1977.
- October 22, 1927
- Collections - Artifact
"Ruth Elder's Ocean Flight," 1927
Ruth Elder fell short of her goal to be the first woman to fly the Atlantic in 1927, but the public loved her just the same. She competed in the 1929 Women's Air Derby and parlayed her aviation fame into a modest film career. Elder was fondly remembered as the "Miss America of the Air" when she died in 1977.
- Agnes Firth in a Caudron Airplane, 1911-1912 - Agnes Firth of Cambridge, Massachusetts, learned to fly at the Sloane School of Aviation in Mineola, New York. Firth was quoted in the February 1913 issue of <em>Aerial Age</em>: "I know of no reason why women shouldn't fly if they wish to. We are just as clever as the men, and sometimes we beat them at their own game."
- 1911-1912
- Collections - Artifact
Agnes Firth in a Caudron Airplane, 1911-1912
Agnes Firth of Cambridge, Massachusetts, learned to fly at the Sloane School of Aviation in Mineola, New York. Firth was quoted in the February 1913 issue of Aerial Age: "I know of no reason why women shouldn't fly if they wish to. We are just as clever as the men, and sometimes we beat them at their own game."
- Ruth Law with her Curtiss Pusher in Hornell, New York, 1916 - Ruth Law earned her pilot's license in 1912 and soon developed a taste for aerobatics and record breaking. In 1916 she flew 590 nonstop miles from Chicago to the state of New York. During World War I, Law argued unsuccessfully for women to fly in combat roles. Law continued to set records until she retired from flying in 1922.
- November 01, 1916
- Collections - Artifact
Ruth Law with her Curtiss Pusher in Hornell, New York, 1916
Ruth Law earned her pilot's license in 1912 and soon developed a taste for aerobatics and record breaking. In 1916 she flew 590 nonstop miles from Chicago to the state of New York. During World War I, Law argued unsuccessfully for women to fly in combat roles. Law continued to set records until she retired from flying in 1922.
- Elinor Smith before the Woman's Endurance Flight at Roosevelt Field, 1929 - Elinor Smith took her first flight at age six and earned a pilot's license at 16. She made headlines flying under New York City bridges in 1928, but more serious pursuits earned Smith a series of endurance, speed, and altitude records for a female pilot. Smith piloted an airplane for the last time in 2001, at the age of 89.
- April 23, 1929
- Collections - Artifact
Elinor Smith before the Woman's Endurance Flight at Roosevelt Field, 1929
Elinor Smith took her first flight at age six and earned a pilot's license at 16. She made headlines flying under New York City bridges in 1928, but more serious pursuits earned Smith a series of endurance, speed, and altitude records for a female pilot. Smith piloted an airplane for the last time in 2001, at the age of 89.
- New York Times Rotogravure Page for June 5, 1932, Showing Amelia Earhart in England after Her Solo Transatlantic Flight - Amelia Earhart made world headlines again in 1932 when she became the first woman to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean. The flight from Harbour Grace, Newfoundland, to Culmore, Northern Ireland, took Earhart 14 hours, 56 minutes in her Lockheed Vega. The press dubbed Earhart "Lady Lindy," and indeed her fame as a pilot was second only to Charles Lindbergh's.
- June 05, 1932
- Collections - Artifact
New York Times Rotogravure Page for June 5, 1932, Showing Amelia Earhart in England after Her Solo Transatlantic Flight
Amelia Earhart made world headlines again in 1932 when she became the first woman to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean. The flight from Harbour Grace, Newfoundland, to Culmore, Northern Ireland, took Earhart 14 hours, 56 minutes in her Lockheed Vega. The press dubbed Earhart "Lady Lindy," and indeed her fame as a pilot was second only to Charles Lindbergh's.
- Portrait of Amelia Earhart, 1928 - Amelia Earhart took her first airplane ride in 1920. From then on, she devoted her life to flight. Earhart set records, made headlines and became one of the world's most famous pilots. Her speeches supported the growing aviation industry, and her product endorsements helped fund her flying. Earhart's disappearance during her around-the-world flight attempt in 1937 added to her mystique.
- 1928
- Collections - Artifact
Portrait of Amelia Earhart, 1928
Amelia Earhart took her first airplane ride in 1920. From then on, she devoted her life to flight. Earhart set records, made headlines and became one of the world's most famous pilots. Her speeches supported the growing aviation industry, and her product endorsements helped fund her flying. Earhart's disappearance during her around-the-world flight attempt in 1937 added to her mystique.