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Women have always been involved in aviation, whether it was behind the scenes supporting the efforts of others, or taking on the challenges of piloting and taking risks with experimental aircraft - to taking their rightful place in space exploration. Today, women work in all fields of aviation. They're commercial and military pilots, astronauts, flight engineers, mechanics, and the lost goes on.
Oakland Aviation proudly displays the photos and history of many women aviators including the following -Bessie Coleman
- In 1921, Bessie Coleman became the first Afican-American pilot. Because of the discrimination in the United States towards women as
pilots and Bessie's race, Bessie moved to France and learned to fly at
the most famous flight school in France--the Ecole d'Aviation de Freres
Caudron. Bessie returned to the United States and pursed a barnstorming
career until 1926.
- On March 16, 1929, Louise Thaden made her bid for the women's endurance
record from Oakland Municipal Airport, CA, in a Travel Air, and
succeeded with a flight of 22 hours, 3 minutes.
Amelia Earhart - On May 21, 1937, Amelia Earhart departed from
Oakland with navigator Fred Noonan to continue their flight around
the world. They had completed over two-thirds of the distance when her
plane disappeared without a trace in the central Pacific Ocean.
- Ms. Earhart sits atop her
airplane shortly after landing in Oakland on January 12, 1935. Only 18
hours 16 minutes after departing Honolulu, she became the first woman to
fly solo from Hawaii to the United States mainland. Photo courtesy of Oakland Public Library.
Ruth Nichols- In 1931, Ruth Nichols broke three major women's records: altitude, speed
and distance. Although she failed in her attempt to cross the Atlantic,
injuring her back, and even saw her plane go up in flames the day after
breaking the women's distance record with her flight from Oakland,
California, to Louisville, Kentucky.
- Her dream of being the first woman to fly across the Atlantic was shattered when Amelia Earhart achieved that feat in May, 1932
Katherine Sui Fu Cheung- Katherine Cheung became the first Chinese American woman to be a licensed pilot.
- Cheung was later inducted into the Aviation Hall of Fame and the
Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum enshrined her as America's
first Asian American aviatrix.
Visit the Oakland Aviation Museum to learn more about these,
and other brave women, and their contributions to aviation.
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